New Orleans Redux

I'm still writing up my recallections of Pirate Con in New Orleans last week, some of it is understandably a litle blurry. I didn't see any of the 9th ward this time, although I did find an old friend who I'd lost track of who now lives there with his wife. They spend six months in their own house while they gutted and rebuilt it. They had water but no official power. They hooked up an extension cord to a neightbors house. That's hard core.

So what do I read today? That most of the foreign aid for Katrina victems was uncollected, refused or wasted.

Do you know what a lot of the attendees did early morning Saturday at Pirate Con? They went to a grade school in the area with much needed school supplies. $60 million dollars and it isn;t getting to where it needs to. This is what makes my brain hurt.

People laugh at Denis Kusinich for trying to get Cheny impeached. Why is this crazy? If anyone focused on any ONE of the disasters this administration had been either responsible for or has exacerbated, they would quickly come to the realization that we and our country are being forced into a flaming nosedive by a corrupt idiot. It's just that there are SO MANY fuck-ups, mistakes, miscaculations, missteps and wrong turns thay we just can't catch our breath. You can't keep up! Is that their strategy?

BONUS ROUND

It seems seven of eight "Successes" in Iraq in fact, aren't. Have a read. Your money and blood at work.

Good touching

I can't make this stuff up. Thanks to Monkey over at HappyBubble.com

I give you: Busty Mouse Pads

Ugly Americans

The last weekend of North Carolina was a mixed bag. Saturday was great. We kicked ass. Good crowds, Midas touch. Then Sunday hit. Torrential rain during the night and on and off during the day. No one shows up. They call the show at 12:30.

Then the sun comes out. Of course.

But it doesn't matter. We break down, load out and get on the road early enough to get home last night. We had to fight our way through snowstorms in the mountains. This was Snow Giant country and the wind pushed us all over the road. But we made it. It feels good to sleep in ones own bed.

During the trip we listened to 'Babylon by Bus'. This is the true story of two slackers who's primary occupation was selling 'Yankee's Suck' t-shirts in New York to earn enough money to travel. At some point, they got it in their bright heads to go to Baghdad and try their hand at humanitarian work the CPA (The Coalition Provisional Authority). What follows is a strange tale of good intentions gone wrong, stupidity, drugs, booze, hope, violence, despair and death.

There are a number of books examining the War, but this one provides a unique ground level view from outside the system. It is Baghdad as seen through the eyes of 2 twenty-eight year olds. Not soldiers or politicians or reporters. What's more, these aren't peacenicks or hippies or experienced volunteers. They are in short, ugly Americans with a tendency to be assholes.

I highly encourage you to check out this book. It can be found used on Amazon.com or on audio CD from your local library.

A picture is worth...

This was posted in a comment threat over at Fark.com and I just had to pass it on:

Oddly Hypnotic

This is a small Japanese dancing toy that will dance to any beat you play for it. Honestly, it dances far better than I ever did. In a real word bar situation, it could probably pick up chicks to. Chicks dig cute.

Kittah!

This is the kind of responsible behavior I think we can all approve of. Cats using public transport.

I hate this state

And I' m sure the feeling is mutual. Last year we bought an expensive GPS navigation unit. One of the KEY selling point I used to convince my wife to agree was that we would be able to get around Raleigh NC without having a seizure. This city is a massive clusterf@ck of roads, most leaading anywhere but where you want to go.

The GPS got us to the site, which wasn't hard as its right off the highway. But when we entered the address of the motel and told it to take us there it simply sat in stunned silence. We tried several options, but nothing worked. The road system is so bad here that it made my GPS break down and cry. We found the motel ourselves and yesterday morning on a lark I asked it to find its way back to the Fair site. It clicked and whired and what do you know it found a route. In fact it was a faster way to the site than we currently use. So last night I asked it to take us back to the motel and again it just sat there whirring and sobbing.

I can't blame the computer. Really. I absolve it of any wrongdoing. It's this city.

The show is off to a good start. Good weather and good attendance. Next weekend however we will be open during Easter weekend. They want us here FRIDAY from three until ten pm. That's messed up. I plan on bringing something thick to read. And maybe a sleeping bag.