Coulter Capitulates
“OK fine, let’s do that, but in the end, at some point, if the Bush tax cuts are repealed and everyone’s taxes go up, I promise you Republicans will get blamed for it. “It doesn’t mean you cave on everything, but there are some things Republicans do that feed into what the media is telling America about Republicans.”
– Ann Coulter, admitting to Sean Hannity on FOX News that taxes on the wealthy should be raised.
At last! There’s a victory on the reasonable front! Now, if we could get more conservatives to admit George W. Bush’s tax policies are what screwed up the economy in the first place, we’d be on the road to recovery. Getting over denial is always the toughest part.
Filed under News
December 5, 2012 – 16 Days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: You must have some flashlights amidst your cache of supplies. Since they’re battery-powered, they’re vital, as utility companies will probably collapse when the apocalypse hits. As an alternative light source, a flashlight will provide some sense of comfort in the darkness. You can also surprise unwanted relatives trying to sneak into your house at night and then, knock them over the head with it.
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Sex Toy Give-Away Leaves Boston Pulsing with Excitement
People lining up in Boston for a piece of the action.
Just when you thought charitable donations in the U.S. going limp, condom manufacturer Trojan handed out 10,000 vibrators in Boston’s South End on Monday, December 3. The event was controversial enough to get booted from city hall this past October, but fortunately, Trojan found the city’s South End more hospitable and…well, more inviting. Personally, I’m so glad someone has finally decided to move sex out of the gutters and into the public square where most of us think it should be. Besides, it’s the Christmas season! So, the spirit of giving should always be out in the open!
Filed under Curiosities
In Memoriam – Dave Brubeck, 1920 – 2012
Legendary jazz composer and musician Dave Brubeck died this morning, December 5, at Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut, just one day shy of his 92nd birthday. Brubeck, who was born in Concord, California, is best known for his 1959 piece “Take Five,” from the album “Time Out.” “Take Five” is one of the most complex jazz instrumentals every composed and helped to redefine the musical genre. He moved it beyond the “4/4 time,” or what he called “march-style jazz.” “Time Out” became the first jazz album to sell a million copies.
Brubeck’s mother had forbade him and his two brothers from listening to music; believing that, if you wanted to hear music, you should play it. The Brubeck brothers all played various instruments and studied classical music, as well as spirituals and cowboy songs. Born cross-eyed, Dave Brubeck learned most of this music by ear, since sight-reading was difficult. At the College of the Pacific in Stockton, California, Brubeck was initially intent on pursuing a career in veterinary medicine. But, as he worked his way through college as a pianist in jazz bands, he switched his major to music. While in college, Brubeck met and married Iola Whitlock. Upon graduation, though, he was immediately drafted into the military, as part of U.S. involvement in World War II.
In 1946 Brubeck formed an octet and three years later, created the Dave Brubeck Trio. He formed the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 following a near fatal car crash.
In 1954 Brubeck became only the second jazz musician, after Louis Armstrong, to be featured on the cover of Time magazine.
In 1999 Brubeck was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. Ten years later he received a Kennedy Center Honor for his contribution to American culture. He gave his archives to his alma mater.
Brubeck’s son Michael died in 2009. In addition to his other sons and his daughter, Brubeck is survived by his wife; 10 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Brubeck once explained succinctly what jazz meant to him. “One of the reasons I believe in jazz,” he said, “is that the oneness of man can come through the rhythm of your heart. It’s the same anyplace in the world, that heartbeat. It’s the first thing you hear when you’re born – or before you’re born – and it’s the last thing you hear.”
Filed under News
In Memoriam – Hartford “Sonny” Black Eagle, 1934 – 2012
Hartford and Mary Black Eagle and President Barack Obama bow their heads in prayer during the White House Tribal Nations Conference at the Interior Department in Washington on December 2, 2011.
Hartford “Sonny” Black Eagle, an elder from Montana’s Crow Indian Nation whose family “adopted” Sen. Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, has died. He was 78. Black Eagle passed away at his home in Lodge Grass on November 26, after suffering problems from a recent bout with pneumonia.
Black Eagle and his family had ceremoniously adopted Obama when the latter visited the Crow Indian Reservation shortly before Montana’s Democratic primary. As part of the adoption, Obama attended a purification ceremony where he was prayed over by Black Eagle and received a Crow name that translates as, “One Who Helps People Throughout the Land.”
Black Eagle’s son, CedricBlack Eagle, current Crow Tribal Chairman, said the ceremony was one of his father’s proudest moments and felt that it was his duty to make sure Native American voices were heard. “He felt like he was representing all of Indian Country as a spokesman, and always telling his (adopted) son, the President, that he has to make sure all of the people in Indian Country are heard and try to help them all,” Cedric Black Eagle said.
Black Eagle and his wife, Mary, later attended Obama’s inauguration. During destructive flooding on the reservation last year that left Lodge Grass largely isolated and forced many tribal members from their homes, Obama called Hartford and Mary Black Eagle to check on their safety, Cedric Black Eagle said.
Funeral services for Hartford Black Eagle are scheduled December 6, followed by internment at Lodge Grass Cemetery.
Filed under News
December 4, 2012 – 17 Days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: Whether you plan to stay in your home when the apocalypse arrives, or flee to safety, you need to have a well-stocked tool box among your supplies. The best ones are made from aluminum or steel and therefore, not easily damaged if you drop it, or use it as a defense weapon.
A complete tool box features the usual items:
- hammer
- screwdriver
- tape measure
- pliers
- duct tape
- black electrician’s tape
- wire cutters
- markers
- assorted nails
- assorted screws
- various size batteries
But, it also should contain:
- drill (battery-operated)
- blue painter’s tape
- flashlight
- wrench
- work gloves
- safety goggles
- hacksaw
- utility knife
- vice grips
- chisel
- staple gun
- small wrecking bar
- chocolate
- antacids
Whether you have mechanical difficulties with your vehicle, need to build an impromptu outdoor shelter, or make a quick home repair, a well-stocked tool box will help you get through the initial chaos at the start of the next Baktun. The ancient Mayans always kept their tools organized and concentrated. Why else do you think their temples have survived for over 2,000 years, while you have to buy a new cell phone every year?
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
December 3, 2012 – 18 Days Until Baktun 12
Survivalist Tip: Every good survivalist / camper / hiker / outdoor enthusiast knows how to build a fire from scratch. Whether you plan to stay at home, or head into the hinterlands when the apocalypse hits, building a fire literally from the ground up is an essential skill. A healthy, but contained fire is obviously a great way to cook and stay warm, especially outside. It’s how humanity survived for thousands of years before electricity, so don’t disregard its importance.
First, make sure you have a healthy supply of firewood or some other kind of kindling, such as shrubbery, grass, telephone books, newspapers, and utility bills.
Second, make certain you have plenty of matches, lighters and / or a magnifying glass.
Third, make sure you have shovel, in case you have to dig a hole in the ground.
Aside from the matches and lighters, here are other options for creating a fire:
- Use a magnifying glass. Hold the glass over the ignitable material and in front of the sun, so that a small bright dot will appear on it.
- If the sky is cloudy, you can start a fire with sticks, but the kindling must be dry. If it’s cloudy and wet, just tough it out!
- Make a bow, using slightly bendable wood. You’ll be putting a lot of pressure on the bow, and dead wood is more likely to break than similarly sized green wood. Use as thin a piece of wood as you can so the bow will be as light as possible. A lighter bow is easier to control and takes less strength to push back and forth. However, it has to be stiff enough to not bend when you’re using it. The bow doesn’t need too much of a curve. Use a shoelace, drawstring, small rope or whatever cordage you can find. Leave a little slack in the cord so that you can twist the drill into the bow. Once the drill is in the bow, the tension should be nice and firm.
- Make a fireboard. The best wood for this won’t have any sap and will be light and soft enough to easily dent with your thumbnail without gouging. Shape whatever wood you choose into a piece about an inch thick, 2-3 inches across and at least 12 inches long. Set it aside for now.
- Make a drill. The drill should be made of harder wood than the fireboard. Poplar and maple are good woods for this. Try to find the straightest piece of wood possible.
- Find or make a socket. A socket can be made of bone, wood, or rock. Look for a rock with a smooth dimple in it. The ideal rock is fist-sized with a deep dimple and smooth sides. If you can’t find a rock, the easiest socket to make is of wood. Either the rock or the piece of wood should be small enough for you to hold in your hand, but not too small. If you can’t find either a suitable rock or a piece of wood, use the head or butthole of the most uncooperative member of your clan. Put the fireboard on the ground.
- Put your left foot on the fireboard. The arch of your foot (not the ball or the heel) should be over the fireboard.
- Drop to your right knee, as if you’re giving thanks to the Great Creator for letting you survive the initial apocalypse – which you should be doing anyway.
- Hold the bow in your right hand and the drill in your left.
- Put the drill on top of the string with the pencil-sharp end pointing right, and twist it into the bow.
- Put the blunt end of the drill on the crater and put the socket on the drill.
- Grab as close to the end of the bow as you can. Put some downward pressure on the socket and start to pull back and forth on the bow. It’s a delicate balance between putting too much and not enough pressure on the drill and having the bow string too tight and not tight enough.
- Saw back and forth with the bow faster and faster, and put more pressure on the socket. Eventually, some black powder and smoke will form around the bottom of the drill. Begin blowing softly through the bundle, while gently squeezing the tinder around the coal. And thus, you have fire!
You must know this skill! I can’t emphasize enough how important it is; regardless of whether you’re able to stay indoors or have to head out on foot. Fire not only will keep you warm in cold weather, but ward off insects in hotter temperatures. It definitely can provide illumination. Like water and air, it is the sustenance of life. It’s also perfect for warming your chocolate!
Filed under Mayan Calendar Countdown
Chief Writing Wolf 