ICKY PEOPLE

Dogs Playing Poker Hidden in New Direct TV Commercial

2010-07-31T23:34:00.003-05:00

I've been laughing at the latest Direct TV commercial for a few days now when it pops up on a show I'm watching. However today I caught it from the very start and instead of watching the main actor, I looked in the background. There are 4 dogs sitting at a table playing poker! At least two are holding up their cards with their paws, and one is placing a bet!

See for yourself, it's at the start of the commercial. And I love the tiny giraffe at the end.

"Opulence, I has it".

Forgotten History: When The U.S. Army Attacked Veterans In Washington D.C.

2010-07-28T00:01:00.003-05:00

There are many fascinating pieces of U.S. history that have been forgotten. One such moment in history happened 78 years ago today. On July 28, 1932, the United States Army attacked and killed U.S. World War I veterans in Washington, D.C.

Approximately 17,000 WWI veterans as another 25,000 family members had amassed in the nation's capitol in May, 1932 to demand the immediate payment of service certificates. The service certificates were similar to U.S. bonds, payable with interest at a future date, and had been issued to WWI veterans in 1924, but could not be redeemed until 1945. The rag tag group of veterans nicknamed themselves the "Bonus Army".

This was during the height of The Great Depression, and the veterans were out of work. The small amount of money promised them (up to $500-$625) per person seems crazy now, but it represented life and death at the time to thousands of people.

By June, 1932, the House had passed a bill to give the veterans their full payment immediately. But on June 17th, the Senate voted against the bill, 62-18, leaving thousands of veterans angry and stranded in the city with no money or jobs.

The veterans continued protesting throughout the city, and having built two of their own mini-cities, or camps, with makeshift shacks from rubbish retrieved from a garbage dump, promised not to leave until they received their money.

The largest camp was at Anacostia Falls, now Anacostia Park, near the federal buildings in downtown Washington, D.C. The camps had shacks, streets laid out, sanitation, and the veterans held daily parades. They even required any veteran who wanted to live in the camp to register and prove they had been honorably discharged.

But by late July, Washington's powers that be decided they had had enough. The veterans were not getting their money and it was time for them to leave.

What happened next is a dark moment in American history, that understandably has been buried in the past...

"On 28 July, 1932, Attorney General Mitchell ordered the police evacuation of the Bonus Army veterans. When they resisted the police shot at them, killing two. When told of this, President Hoover ordered the army to effect the evacuation of the Bonus Army from Washington.

At 4:45 p.m., commanded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the 12th Infantry Regiment, Fort Howard, Maryland, and the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, supported by six battle tanks commanded by Maj. George S. Patton, Fort Myer, Virginia, formed in Pennsylvania Avenue while thousands of civil service employees left work to line the street and watch the U.S. Army attack its own veterans. The Bonus Marchers, believing the display was in their honor, cheered the troops until Maj. Patton ordered the cavalry to charge them—an action which prompted the civil service spectators to yell, "Shame! Shame!"

After the cavalry charged the infantry, with fixed bayonets and adamsite gas, entered the camps, evicting veterans, families, and camp followers. The veterans fled across the Anacostia River to their largest camp and President Hoover ordered the assault stopped. However Gen. MacArthur, feeling this exercise was a Communist attempt at overthrowing the U.S. government, ignored the President and ordered a new attack. Hundreds of veterans were injured and several killed—including William Hushka and Eric Carlson. A veteran's wife miscarried."

General's MacArthur, Patton, and Eisenhower, who would become heroes in World War II, were all involved in the attack on our own veterans.

The veterans fled Washington, D.C., but the story doesn't end there. The fallout from the bloody attack helped propel Franklin D. Roosevelt to defeat President Herbert Hoover in the 1932 Presidential election. However, FDR also refused to issue early payment to the veterans, and the Bonus Army returned to protest yet again in Washington, D.C.

This time Eleanor Roosevelt met with some of the veterans and convinced many of them to take federal jobs in Florida building a new highway connecting the mainland to the Florida Keys.

What seemed like a peaceful solution would turn deadly.

In September, 1935, 258 veterans building the highway were killed during the Labor Day Hurricane. Public sentiment built in support of paying the veterans, and Congress, now facing another election year, passed a new bill to pay the vets early and in full in 1936. FDR promptly vetoed the bill, but Congress overturned FDR's veto and paid the veterans.

Years later, in 1945, not wanting a repeat of the Bonus Army disaster, Congress passed the G.I. Bill for veterans returning home from World War II.

For additional reading on the Bonus Army, see Semp.us.

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Final Day Exclusive Pics Part 2

2010-07-26T17:27:00.004-05:00

The final Comic-Con pictures are in. This is Part 2 of the final day, and features a giant Star Wars Hoth Battle scene at the Hasbro booth, plus other Hasbro Star Wars figures.

There are a total of 5 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on any photo for a larger image. Use the back button on your browser to return to the article.

Finally I would like to thank Tom, Kristina, and little Liam for being our eyes and ears at Comic-Con. They were generous enough to take all these great photos. Thanks!

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Final Day Exclusive Pics

2010-07-26T17:16:00.004-05:00

The final Comic-Con pictures are in. This is Part 1 of 2 parts. This set includes pictures of Futurama, He-Man and Masters of the Universe, Tiny Nightmares, Naruto, Bruce Lee, and more.

Part 2 features a huge Star Wars Hoth battle display.

There are a total of 5 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on any photo for a larger image. Use the back button on your browser to return to the article.

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Day 4 Part 2 Exclusive Pictures

2010-07-25T01:07:00.007-05:00

Part 2 of the Day 4 exclusive pictures from the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con.

This batch includes authentic movie items available from Prop Store, Puppet Masters, a new line of realistic horror action figures (Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre), the new Green Hornet figures, a new lineup of figures called The Outer Space Men, and more.

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on any photo for a larger image. Use the back button on your browser to return to the article.

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Day 4 Exclusive Pictures

2010-07-25T00:54:00.005-05:00

More new, exclusive pictures of the latest new items from the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con.

This group includes plenty of new DC superheroes, check out all the amazing new figures in the DC Retro-Superheroes lineup. Then there are new Twilight figures, Star Trek TNG figures, the Ghostbusters vehicle was on display at the Hot Wheels booth, Masters of The Universe, Universal Monsters, and much more.

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on any photo for a larger image. Use the back button on your browser to return to the article.

BABES AND GEEKS 2: 2010 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive Pictures

2010-07-24T17:05:00.006-05:00

It's the Babes and Geeks from the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con!

This is Part 3 of the Day 3 exclusive pictures. The Kick-Ass costumes are great!

See Part 1 here (toys), and Part 2 here (all costumes).

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on any photo for a larger image. Use the back button on your browser to return to the article.

Enjoy!

BABES AND GEEKS: 2010 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive Pictures

2010-07-24T16:56:00.008-05:00

It's the Babes and Geeks from the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con!

This is Part 2 of the Day 3 exclusive pictures.

See Part 1 here (toys), and Part 3 here (more cool costumes).

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on any photo for a larger image. Use the back button on your browser to return to the article.

Enjoy!

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Day 3 Exclusive Pictures

2010-07-24T16:44:00.007-05:00

Part 1 of exclusive pictures from Day 3 of the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con.

In this group: Star Wars, Marvel's upcoming Thor movie, WWF figures, DC Green Lantern Blackest Night figures, Iron Monger's armor from the first Iron Man movie, awesome Halo: Reach figures and a warthog by McFarlane toys, and more.

In Parts 2 and 3 of Day 3's pictures, you'll see many of the costumes at the show. Part 2 is here and Part 3 is here.

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on any picture for a larger view. Use the back button on your browser to return to the article.

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Day 2 Exclusive Pictures Part 2

2010-07-23T02:03:00.007-05:00

Part 2 of the many exclusive photos from day 2 of the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con.

This group includes Lego's, Star Wars, Marvel Studio's Captain America and Thor movies, a crazy protest by a religious group outside the Con (and several other groups arguing with them and trying to get their own publicity), the adorable SDCC exclusive plush Nibbler from Futurama, and more...

Click on the pictures of the protesters and read the signs (God Hates America, God Hates You, You're Going To Hell, etc.). The guy with the "rebuttal sign" reminds me of Stifler for some reason.

Part 1 of the pictures are here.

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Day 2 Exclusive Pictures

2010-07-23T01:50:00.008-05:00

I have a slew of new, exclusive photographs from the San Diego Comic-Con. These are going to take up more than one post.

San Diego Comic-Con Day 2 Pictures (Part 1), including Harry Potter figures, Twilight figures, Nightmare Before Christmas, The Exorcist, Machete, and more (I believe all by NECA). There are also pics of some very expensive comics, and Chef Vader - who had Jar Jar Binks' head on a platter.

Click on any picture for a larger view. Use your browser's back button to return to the article.

Part 2 of the pictures are here.

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

2010 San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive Pictures

2010-07-22T01:20:00.009-05:00

I have a friend who is at the Comic-Con this year and he is sending back pictures as he has time. I'll post many of them over the next few days.

Here are a handful, including some very cool Lego displays, Bumblebee from the Transformers movies, some Sideshow Toys new releases, and more...

There are now 4 days worth of exclusive photos from Comic-Con! See all the toys and costumes here.

Click on a picture for a larger view. Use your browser's back button to get back to the article.

Bumblebee is about 20 feet tall, I was told. He looks awesome!

Illinois' Back To School Sax Tax Discount is LAME

2010-07-15T13:33:00.004-05:00

We all know the economy sucks. States and businesses are trying everything they can think of to stimulate spending. The main problem with these promotions is that many people simply do not have the cash to spend, no matter how tempting the promotion.

The latest weak attempt to stimulate consumer spending is Illinois' Sales Tax Holiday aimed at parents with kids going back to school. Illinois Governor Quinn says the Sales Tax Holiday is meant to make buying school supplies less expensive, so let's check it out.

For consumers who purchase clothing or footwear between August 6, 2010, and August 15, 2010, they will receive 5% off their sales tax rate. The highest sales tax in the state is 9.75%, so for consumers buying clothes it will drop to 4.75%. The kicker is that consumers/parents can only purchase up to $100 in clothes/footwear. So the most a parent can save is $5 in taxes. Saving $5 is nice, but it's not going to make a huge difference for anyone.

There is no $100 limit for most school supplies, which includes pencils, binders, calculators, crayons, notebooks, etc., so parents can save $5 on every $100 they purchase of school supplies.

The idea behind this might be right, but it's not enough of a difference to either a) significantly help parents nor b) stimulate consumer spending. That didn't stop Governor Quinn from saying he hopes the 10 day sales tax break will jump start spending and prompt retailers to hire new staff. That seems completely logical. If I were running a business where customers could get 5% off a limited selection of items for 10 days, I would run out and hire several new employees, just to count the gobs of cash I will soon be stuffing my drawers with.

But seriously, think about what the sales tax discount applies to: back to school supplies. There is a limited amount of pencils, pens, folders, notebook paper, etc. that school kids need. Even if a parent is a multi-millionaire, their kids still only need a certain amount of school supplies, so giving a tax credit on school supplies in the hope of stimulating consumer spending is idiotic. Parents will not buy their kids 450 notebook folders because they can save $5.

Will consumers rush out to buy new clothes and shoes in order to save $5?

If the state really wanted to stimulate spending with a sales tax holiday, they should have done it with more expensive items, such as appliances, new and used cars, and other expensive items. Saving a maximum of $5 on a new jacket or a shopping cart full of school supplies simply isn't going to stimulate anyone.

Holy Crap 1989 Was A Great Year For Movies!

2010-07-09T20:01:00.002-05:00

Most people would agree that movies mostly suck today. There are very few films worth watching released in any given year, the rest either are just mindless action films or complete time wasters. But back in 1989 there were gobs of movies, good movies, enjoyable movies, coming out of the woodwork. I was working at a Chicago area movie theater that year, and many of the films listed below were playing at the theater then, but I never stopped to realize what a great year it was for movies.

Not all of the movies on this list are great, but as a whole, it's probably hard to beat this crazy list of movies all coming out in 1 single year.

40 Movies released in 1989, in no particular order:

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Heathers (awesome dark comedy about teens and school)
The Little Mermaid
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (the one with Sean Connery)
Do The Right Thing
When Harry Met Sally
Batman
Glory
Say Anything
Field of Dreams
Ghostbusters II
Born On The Fourth of July
Steel Magnolia's
Back To The Future II
Look Who's Talking
Lethal Weapon II
Honey I Shrunk The Kids
License To Kill
The War Of The Roses
Driving Miss Daisy
My Left Foot
The Abyss
Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure
Black Rain (andy garcia and michael douglass)
Casualties of War
Crimes and Misdemeanors (woody allen)
Criminal Law (kevin bacon and gary oldham)
Dead Poet's Society
Henry V
Fat Man and Little Boy
Great Balls of Fire
Dead Calm
Major League
Parenthood
Pet Sematary
Road House
The Fabulous Baker Boys
Turner and Hooch
Uncle Buck
Weekend At Bernie's

Did I miss your favorite? Add it to the comments.

Bill Brady is FOR Child Abuse and Against Seat Belts

2010-06-26T20:14:00.005-05:00

According to a recent poll of Illinois residents' preferences in the upcoming race for Governor, 56% of those polled say they have no opinion of Republican candidate Bill Brady.

What that means is they don't know anything about him, and since he is from downstate and the majority of Illinois' population is in the Chicago area, that's understandable.

So I want help educate people about Bill Brady and his stances on many of the issues. First, let me disclose that while I generally support Democrats, I do not consider myself a Democrat (or a Republican). And while I have a preference in the race for Governor, if there is a better choice than incumbent Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, I will gladly vote for that person.

However, Brady isn't a better choice.

Here's why.

Brady has said if he is elected Governor of Illinois he will lower the minimum wage $1 an hour. He's even said that there shouldn't be a minimum wage at all.

And while he wants to lower your income, be aware that Bill Brady doesn't pay taxes on his own income. Despite making $119,000 in 2009, and over $500,000 a year in previous years, Brady didn't pay a single penny in income taxes. And despite paying over $652,000 in employee salaries in 2009, Brady didn't pay a single penny in taxes.

Bill Brady opposes abortion, even in the cases of rape and incest. A woman who is raped and impregnated by her rapist will have to give birth to her rapist's child if Bill Brady gets his way.

Bill Brady wants to ban gay marriages and civil unions.

Bill Brady introduced a bill to allow employers the legal right to discriminate against employees based on sexual orientation, gender, and religion.

Bill Brady introduced a bill to kill pets in mass using gas chambers. I'm not making that up.

Bill Brady doesn't believe women have the right to earn equal pay as men.

Bill Brady's voting record is anti-children and anti-schools: "Brady voted against funding for after school programs, grants to improve failing schools, reading improvement programs and help for teachers who work at low-income schools."

Bill Brady sponsored a bill that would allow pharmacists to refuse to dispense emergency contraception based on their own religious beliefs.

Bill Brady has consistently voted against women's health care and health care rights: against health insurance covering mammograms and pap smears, against rape victim services, against HPV vaccinations, against breast cancer and cervical cancer funding, against domestic violence services.

The one woman's issue Bill Brady has supported is allowing insurance companies to reduce the amount of time a mother can stay in the hospital after giving birth.

Brady voted against a bill that would have increased the penalties against repeat domestic batterers.

Brady voted against the Family and Medical Leave Act, which allows workers unpaid time off to care for a severely ill child or family member.

Brady is in bed with the NRA, so much so that his stance on guns is not only vehemently pro-guns, but anti-society. Consider:

Brady voted against licensing gun dealers.

Brady wants to do away with IDs for gun owners and destroy all records of gun purchases.

Brady wants to lower the age to purchase guns to 18.

Brady said he will veto any legislation to ban semi-automatic weapons.

Brady is a staunch supporter of Big Business, at the expense and safety of workers. Consider:

Brady voted against safety requirements on construction projects.

Brady sponsored a bill to cut benefits to workers seriously injured on the job.

Brady opposes protection for whistleblowers.

Brady has his own ideas of how we should be teaching our children, and on their safety. Consider:

Brady wants Creationism taught in schools and says the Bible and prayer should play a larger role in education.

Brady voted against requiring clergy to report suspected child abuse.

Brady voted against allowing communities to ban public smoking.

Brady voted against requiring children to wear seat belts.

Even if you dismiss the typical, GOP party lines positions, Brady's other positions are just downright insane. He's against children wearing seatbelts. He's against reporting child abuse. He's for selling guns, including automatic weapons, with no records, and selling them to 18 year olds. He's against school programs and women's healthcare. He's for killing large numbers of pets in Nazi-like gas chambers, he's against minimum wage and women's rights to equal pay, but he's all for discrimination, be it against gender, sexuality, or religion. He wants to teach our kids his religious beliefs, while he wants to remove safety regulations that protect us at work. And he doesn't pay taxes.

Bill Brady is the wrong choice for Illinois, unless you're starting a racist, pro-hate, anti-gay, pro-pollution, anti-safety, anti-compensation, anti-education political group. Oh, wait, we already have that. It's called the GOP.

Freebie of the Day: MP3's From Swell Season, NAS, Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, More

2010-06-17T18:35:00.004-05:00

Levi's is offering FREE MP3's of songs by artists such as Swell Season, NAS, Colbie Caillat, Jason Mraz, The Shins, She & Him, and more, over at their Pioneer Sessions website.

Levi's invited the artists to "re-craft the special songs that inspired their sound".

Jason Mraz does a remake of "Spirit in the Sky". The Shins remake "Goodbye Girl" by Squeeze. Colbie Caillat covers Blondie, and much more.

Swell Season is the excellent band that starred in the movie, "Once", and received an Academy Award for the song "Falling Slowly". Here they cover Southern Soul singer/disco artist Candi Staton's "Young Hearts Run Free".

NAS does a Slick Rick cover. If you're not familiar with Slick Rick, you're missing out. He was one of the breakthrough rappers of the late 80's/early 90's, and had a very humorous side to his explicit style. Think Will Smith on Jimmy Kimmell's This Week In Unnecessary Censorship.

She & Him are better known as actress Zooey Deschanel and singer-songwriter M Ward. They cover a Rickie Nelson song.

The Dirty Projectors cover Bob Dylan, while Bomba Estereo does a must-hear version of "Pump Up The Jam".

Link to FREE songs from Levi's.

Mark Kirk LIES About Teaching & Gun Toting Babies

2010-06-17T13:02:00.007-05:00

The New York Times has taken a close look at Illinois Senate candidate Mark Kirk, the same guy who has been busted by the Pentagon and U.S. Navy for lying about his military record.

The NY Times found that Kirk has exaggerated his claims that he was a teacher, and outright lied on the House floor...

"In a speech on the House floor on Sept. 19, 2006, as he talked about school safety, Mr. Kirk spoke about “the kids who were the brightest lights of our country’s future, and I also remember those who bore scrutiny as people who might bring a gun to class.”

That's all fine and dandy, except that the only teaching experience Kirk has was 1 year in London at a student teacher at a private school, and part of 1 year as a student teacher working part-time at a nursery school. So which group of kids might be bringing guns to school? The teens in London, where guns are illegal, or the 3-4 year olds in the U.S.? And those "kids who were the brightest lights of our country's future..." where those the pre-kindergarten kids he taught part-time for just a few months, or the rich teens in London who weren't American's, and therefore, not the "brightest lights of our country's future"?

Kirk's people are trying to control the backlash and talked to the NY Times...

"Mr. Kirk declined an interview on Wednesday to talk about his time as a teacher. His spokeswoman said the congressman was referring to nursery school students in Ithaca, not his students in London, during that speech on the House floor in 2006."

OK. Glad we have that cleared up. It was the little babies who were the brightest thinkers and likely to bring guns to school.

But more research turned up that the nursery school Kirk claims to have worked at is in a nice neighborhood, and not one where tots might bring mommy or daddy's gun to class. In fact, the nursery is in Ithaca, New York, home of Cornell University, an Ivy League school. How often do you hear about Ivy League towns being over run by 3 year old gangbangers that shoot up their nurseries?

But complicating matters further, there is no record Kirk actually worked at the nursery. Period. Given his decades long lies about his military record, Kirk doesn't get the benefit of doubt here.

Rich Miller of The Capitol Fax Blog sums up the problems Kirk is facing...

"We are now in some very bizarre, dark territory in this US Senate campaign.

Mark Kirk is an accomplished, decorated Naval veteran who blew that reputation out of the water with unfathomable exaggerations about his military record. He’s an intellectual graduate of the London School of Economics who lied about his experience with liberal nursery school students carrying guns.

These accusations against Mark Kirk are no longer about mere “embellishments” or “exaggerations.” This campaign is now about whether anything he says is true, and why."

White Cop Punches Black Woman Over Jaywalking

2010-06-16T11:50:00.002-05:00

A white cop in Seattle, trying to arrest a 19 year old black woman, was pushed by her 17 year old friend and the cop responded by punching the 17 year old in the face.

I understand the need of the policeman to get the situation under control, and shoving a police officer is never the correct thing to do, especially when he is trying to make an arrest. However, when are people ever arrested for jaywalking??

In the rest of the country, jaywalking, when it is ever enforced, results in a ticket. And let me say that I've seen tens of thousands of people jaywalk and have never seen anyone even verbally reprimanded by a police officer. Not arrested. If Seattle's laws including arresting people for jaywalking, I'll be crossing that city off my list of desired destinations.

Freebie Of The Day: Download New Bonnaroo 2010 Preview Album

2010-05-27T13:21:00.003-05:00

SPIN has put together a FREE album with 16 tracks by artists who will be performing at this year's Bonnaroo music festival, which runs June 10th - 13th.

The album features performances by Kings of Leon, Mumford and Sons, Blitzen Trapper, and 13 other bands you'll hopefully track down if you're going to Bonnaroo. And if you're not going, it's still a free way to check out new artists. Kings of Leon are already well known and are a great band.

The tracklist:

1. The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang"
2. The National, "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
3. Manchester Orchestra, "Shake It Out"
4. Kings of Leon, "Cold Desert"
5. Local Natives, "World News"
6. Blitzen Trapper, "Heaven and Earth"
7. Phoenix, "1901 (Live in Sydney)"
8. Samantha Crain, "Lions"
9. Bomba Estereo, "Fuego"
10. Tinariwen, "Lulla"
11. Mumford & Sons, "White Blank Page (Live)"
12. Jamey Johnson, "Place Out on the Ocean"
13. The Young Veins, "Change"
14. Dawes, "When My Time Comes"
15. Gossip, "Are You That Somebody (Live Aaliyah Cover)"
16. Chromeo, "Night By Night"

Download the FREE album here.

BP Oil Disaster Plan Included Saving Walruses

2010-05-25T00:14:00.008-05:00

The longer the oil leak in the Gulf takes to be sealed, the more aggravated many people get.

The latest news certainly didn't lift anyone's spirit.

BP's 582 page plan for worst case scenario oil accidents and the companies response was released on Monday. Titled, "BP Gulf of Mexico Regional Oil Spill Response Plan", it was completed only last year, so one would expect BP to have their ducks in a row and a proper, modern plan ready in the event of a disaster.

Not so.

The plan lacks information on what to do in the event of a deep water blowout, such as what happened last month. The plan, which is partially meant to serve as basic guidelines to the response teams, includes protecting the Gulf's "Sensitive Biological Resources", including Walruses. Yep, Walruses. In the Gulf of Mexico.

The plan also lists a Japanese Home Shopping website as one of the primary providers of emergency response equipment. No trace of oil cleanup equipment can be found on the website, but you can buy a new computer, order a Matt Damon movie, or apply for a new credit card.

Perhaps the reason the report is such a mess, like the Gulf, is that the company that was in charge of oversight of drilling in the Gulf, Minerals Management Service, allowed oil industry officials to fill out their own inspection reports. The same people who were supposed to be protecting us and the environment from potential disasters like this were too busy accepting gifts from the oil companies to do their jobs.

Meanwhile, many people are highly critical of the Obama Administration for seemingly standing on the sidelines while BP bumbles through one inept, half-assed attempt to seal the leak after another. The White House explained on Monday that while it's understandable people are frustrated, the government and military do not have the equipment nor experience to seal the leak.

I'm not dismissing how hard plugging the leak is, but somehow we can land a minivan-sized object on Mars, remotely drive it over the planet from 36-250 million miles away for five months, download pictures and data from the rover when many people can't even download a picture on their computer, but we can't figure out how to plug an oil leak in 5,000 feet of water back home.

I've been reading and hearing the potential long-term effects of the disaster from scientists, but their concerns are quickly dismissed by the White House and BP. Their views are that this disaster is one of the worst, if not the worst, man-made disaster in the history of the planet. The oil could take years to was ashore and finally disappear, from an area stretching from the East Coast of Mexico, past the entire Gulf, into the Florida Keys and Everglades, then get caught in the Atlantic currents and pulled up the U.S. East Coast, and spread as far and wide as the coast of Africa, Spain, and the British Isles.

The estimates also claim the oil could destroy the food chain in the Gulf of Mexico for decades, leading to a shortage of world food, and ultimately raising prices on everything. Just imagine, if all of that seafood is removed from the world market, billions of people will have to increase their consumption of meats and grains as replacements. The cost of corn, wheat, chicken, beef, and pork, to name a few, will all almost certainly rise as a result of the oil disaster.

In the meantime, Tony Hayward, BP's CEO, says the amount of oil that has leaked so far is "relatively tiny". Even BP estimates the leak as 5,000 barrels per day, which is 200,000 gallons per day, and some experts say it is likely 70,000 barrels per day or more - that's almost 3,000,000 gallons per day. Now multiply 200,000 - 3,000,000 gallons per day for an entire month. That's 88 million gallons of oil on the high end of estimates. But that's "tiny" according to the BP CEO, Tony Hayward.

Not just the food chain will be disrupted. The beaches and shoreline for thousands of miles will be affected, which will surely damage tourism and the economies of countless small towns and large cities.

This is a nightmare the world will be paying for long after BP has finished paying.

Freebie Of The Day: Download New Smashing Pumpkins EP Here!

2010-05-23T13:56:00.003-05:00

You can listen to or download the new Smashing Pumpkins 4 song EP, Teargarden by Kaleidyscope, below.

Click on a song to instantly play it, or download a song by highlighting it and click on Download Song.

Teargarden by Kaleidyscope is the eighth studio album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins, released as free MP3 downloads, and as a series of physical limited-edition EPs, culminating in a single box set release. The album will have 44 new songs, released one at a time, and will also be issued as eleven four-song EPs.

1980's Pop Icon Institutionalized For Cursing Christians

2010-05-22T14:59:00.006-05:00

Who knew Britain's laws were so stupid?

From Brit paper The Daily Mail:

"Eighties pop star Adam Ant has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act, it was claimed this evening.

It follows a series of troubled public appearances, including a concert last week where he unleashed a tirade of abuse at Christians during a charity gig..."

So what exactly did Adam Ant do that got him forcibly institutionalized? The video is below, but here is what the Daily Mail said:

"On May 11, Adam, real name Stuart Goddard, was due to play a 30-minute set at the Oasis Centre to raise money for starving children in the Phillipines.

During the show, he invited a four-year-old boy up on stage and began to teach him the words to The Who's My Generation.

And when the frustrated crowd started to leave, he began screaming obscenities at them.

He even asked if there were any Christians in the room, and then told them to 'f**k off'."

Wow. He publicly cursed Christians and was put in a mental hospital for it. Amazing stuff.

Hope he gets "better", although cursing religious people is not something one should have to apologize for, nevermind being institutionalized over.

Btw, Cursing Christians would be a great name for a band.

Here is the "offensive behavior" that got Adam Ant thrown into a mental ward. Decide for yourself, does he look like a threat to others? Someone says something about not acting very Christian-like when he pokes fun at people leaving early, and he replies along the lines of, "if I knew this were a Christian event I wouldn't have come, I thought this was for charity." Then curses or mumbles some lines while singing.

Freebie of the Day: Download FREE Bad Religion Album

2010-05-20T13:21:00.003-05:00

Bad Religion is giving away a free download of their new live CD, 30 Years.

"To celebrate three decades of Bad religion, we've recorded a live album during our spring 2010 tour, and we are offering it as a free "thank you" to the loyal fans who've been with us through all the sweat and mayhem."

Bad Religion is an American rock band who has released 15 albums and has had several hit songs.

Head over to this link to download the album.

Enjoy!

Freebie of the Day: Download FREE Sister Hazel Album

2010-05-16T14:55:00.005-05:00

Amazon.com is offering a free download of Sister Hazel's album, 20 in '10.

Sister Hazel is a U.S. rock band who has had some chart success and are comparable to Tom Petty, Black Crowes, and Wilco.

There are 20 Amazon reviews for the album and the average rating is 4 1/2 stars (out of 5).

The album features 20 FREE songs!

MP3 format, compatible with iTunes, Windows Media Player, iPod/iPhone, Zune, Sansa, etc.

You can also sample the songs first right in the browser to see if you want to download them.

Enjoy!

20 In 10: Digital Collection [Amazon Exclusive]

NRA: Americans WANT Terrorists To Buy Guns

2010-05-15T13:22:00.005-05:00

The NRA leadership has their head so far up their own asses they're not in touch with reality.

Take the NRA stance on allowing people on the terrorist watch list to buy guns. The NRA supports the right of alleged terrorists to buy guns. They claim it would violate the 2nd Amendment rights of alleged terrorists. The idiot VP of the NRA even takes it a step further...

"Appearing as a guest on (Fox News' Glen Beck Show), Wayne LaPierre, Executive VP of the NRA, defended the loophole in the law and claimed that an “overwhelming majority of the public” agreed with his viewpoint."

The American people agree with the NRA? Hardly. Not even NRA members agree with the NRA.

"A poll conducted late last year found that 82 percent of gun owners and NRA members support “prohibiting people on the terrorist watch lists from purchasing guns.”

For a more current take, ThinkProgress visited the NRA's annual conference in North Carolina earlier today...

"ThinkProgress asked dozens of NRA members if those on the terrorist watch list should be able to purchase firearms and an overwhelming majority agreed with Bloomberg on the need to close the “terror gap.”"

Americans don't agree with the NRA, and NRA members don't agree with the NRA.

The only people who agree with the NRA apparently are terrorists.