Mobile Blog - Corn Rows

Here in Dublin, OH, they have corn rows. Rows of cobs of corn. Cement cobs. 7 feet tall.

Apparently a controversial art installation. Very cool.

Have to research this later.

The Weekend &The Dresden Dolls - "Night Reconnaissance"

Stalled today because Google tagged this blog as a spam blog. Buggers. Just cleared up, and I'm about on my way out to the Dublin, Ohio Irish Festival for the weekend. Tell you all about the sanctioning of Cause For Concern when I get back.

We've also got me listening to Glenn Beck and how he hates on Obama (I know, I swore it off, but it was an hour in the car and radio sucks in Cincinnati), and that comes with shirtless presidents. Yum.

And Wal-Mart is mobilizing managers nationwide to put out the word that an Obama victory means bad things for Wal-Mart in a single word: Unionize! God forbid they pay a living wage or - gasp! - benefits.

All coming next week!

Here's some Dresden Dolls to get you through the weekend. Perhaps a little mobile blogging? I'll surprise you.

McCain's "Character"

Even while not listening to talk radio, I get Media Matters newsletters and some right-wing trash in my inbox. And while the right wing continues to pummel Obama on imagined hyperbole, they all flaunt the Character of McCain with a capital C.

Let's remember the Keating Five for a minute, a Savings and Loan scandal that cost millions in tax and investment dollars:

Keating's relationship with McCain came under particularly intense press scrutiny. McCain and Keating had become personal friends following their initial contacts in 1981. Between 1982 and 1987, McCain had received $112,000 in lawful political contributions from Keating and his associates. In addition, McCain's wife Cindy McCain and her father Jim Hensley had invested $359,100 in a Keating shopping center in April 1986, a year before McCain met with the regulators. McCain, his family, and their baby-sitter had made nine trips at Keating's expense, sometimes aboard Keating's jet. Three of the trips were made during vacations to Keating's opulent Bahamas retreat at Cat Cay. McCain did not pay Keating (in the amount of $13,433) for some of the trips until years after they were taken, when he learned that Keating was in trouble over Lincoln.

And while we're at it, how about a mention of John's first wife. A car accident "left her 4 inches shorter and on crutches, and she had gained a good deal of weight." Extra-marital affairs ensued. Then, while still married, he met Cindy:

McCain described their first meeting, "She was lovely, intelligent and charming, 17 years my junior but poised and confident. I monopolized her attention the entire time, taking care to prevent anyone else from intruding on our conversation. When it came time to leave the party, I persuaded her to join me for drinks at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. By the evening's end, I was in love."

While still married to Carol, McCain began an adulterous relationship with Cindy. He married Cindy in May 1980 -- just a month after dumping Carol and securing a divorce. The newlyweds honeymooned in Hawaii.

This is all apparently okay with a Republican base and colleagues who went batshit crazy over a blowjob.

GlaxoSmithKline Killing Poor Argentinian Babies

From Trading Markets:

Buenos Aires, Jul 10, 2008 (EFE via COMTEX)

At least 12 babies who were part of a clinical study to test the effectiveness of a vaccine against pneumonia have died over the past year in Argentina, the local press reported Thursday.

The study was sponsored by global drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and uses children from poor families, who are "pressured and forced into signing consent forms," the Argentine Federation of Health Professionals, or Fesprosa, said.

"This occurs without any type of state control" and "does not comply with minimum ethical requirements," Fesprosa said.

The vaccine trial is still ongoing despite the denunciations, and those in charge of the study were cited by the Critica newspaper as saying that the procedures are being carried out in a lawful manner.

12 mothers, 12 fathers, pressured into what amounts to a slow execution of their child.

Is this okay on any level?

Mobile Blog - Malling It

Today I took 12 year old Ms. Shambles to the mall with her friend to get a gift for their other friend.

Yes, both tragic and painful.

However, Door-to-mall-to-door; 50 minutes, half of it driving.

Yes, I am that good.

Talk Radio Hiatus

I'm a little tired of listening to Alex Bennett and Lynn Samuels on the left whack at Obama like a piñata. I'm tired of Wilkow's constant naming of Barack as a Marxist, Mike Church's dude spittle shitting The Messiah, Rush's drug-confused logic, Hannity's Stop Obama Express, and Levin shouting like chipmunk on crack. I'm not even going into O'Reilly or Gibson. Or Savage.

There are problems with Obama's candidacy, but if not him, then McCain, and holy shit that cannot happen.

So since no one is going to talk about anything except how much they don't like Obama (or in a few cases like him), my Sirius lovin' on talk radio is going to take a pause from Left and Fox and Patriot which generally makes up 90% of my listening day.

So what am I listening to instead? Right now, it's energie2, a French pop station (I'm also fond of Rock Velours and Bandeapart). Other favorites are CBC Radio 3, Iceberg, and Left of Center (indie), Chill, Area 38, and Boombox (electronic/dance).

So I'm sorry, but no talk radio means no talk radio rants for about a week. But I think we can both use a break.

McCain's Oil Lobbyists

Hope: It Could Happen to You

Winner "Funniest" for Obama in 30 Seconds contest and potential first political ad seen on MTV for this election cycle. The other option is John McCain lying about a bunch of shit.

Which brings in the real question: can McCain even play for the MTV crowd? Does the man who yells at the kid to get off his lawn get the kid's vote?