Heartbeat - Childish Gambino on Letterman

Digging this song.

Lana Del Ray

It all started with a song and video called Video Games. Then it led to a record deal, public adoration, then backlash and in January an appearance on SNL... without releasing an album yet. Who can say they have done that? Check her out, I'm digging her style and those lips.

SNL - Buble skit feat Jimmy Fallon and others

funny stuff

Full Tilt Poker Blues

G.J. Joe Retaliation Trailer

The saga of Dajaz1.com

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111208/08225217010/breaking-news-feds-falsely-censor-popular-blog-over-year-deny-all-due-process-hide-all-details.shtml When will the government stop using the terrorism subtext to pass legislation that is unconstitutional, big brotheresque and invasion of our civil liberties.

Rick Perry is an idiot

Man, if this isn't the dumbest AD ever. Has their ever been a dumber presidential candidate than Rick Perry. This guy just doesn't get it. First you need to realize the country we live in today. A majority of American's believe strongly that gays should be allowed to serve openly, and most Americans also believe that church and state need to be kept separate. Don't bring your religious agenda to the White House. We saw what that did during the first part of this century. Second fact is that Obama has no war on religion. Has never done anything remotely close to attacking or has spoken pejoratively about any religion during his term. Finally, America was not built on religious faith you moron. It was built on the pursuit of religious freedom and then for the most part of this country, HARD WORK.

Senna

Can't wait to see this. This guy was my favorite F1 racer ever. His battles with Alain Prost were legendary. I'm not a big racing fan but Earnhardt and Senna were the only two guys who would make me stop changing channels if I came across a race of theirs.

The Correspondents - "Cheating With You"

Interesting catchy song from The Correspondents.

Stanley from the Office - "2 Be Simple"

NIN and Karen O - "Immigrant Song"

What an amazing cover of the Zeppelin classic. Hopefully the movie is as good of a remake as the original.

Childish Gambino - "Heartbeat"

Childish Gambino has released his debut album. If he looks familiar, that is Donald Glover from "Community". I like what I'm hearing and it is getting positive reviews.

Florence and the Machine SNL Appearance

For once the sound on SNL doesn't sound that bad. Man between her and Adele, Britain has cornered the female vocal talent.

Florence & the Machine - No light No, Light

Feist - How Come You Never Go There

First video off her amazing new Album "Metals"

Herman Cain - Bad Lip Read

hilarious video!!

The greatest dodgeball move ever

Skip to 1:25 and see the greatest move ever

Insane video of humpback whale almost swallowing a surfer

Portugal the Man - "All Your Light"

Awesome claymation video

Henry Blodget on Amazon...A big thank you

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/dear-america-time-big-thank-amazon-141036276.html

I have to agree with Blodget here on what he says about Amazon. They are doing things the right way it seems and once the Kindle Fire comes out, they will grow much faster and increase profits in the long term. Right off the bat they will lose money on each device sold but in the long run make much more money due to purchases by customers for the device.

I like the end of the piece by Blodget.
"If more American companies started to do what Amazon does--ignore short-term pressures, sacrifice near-term profits, and invest for the long-term--the American economy would start to heal itself quickly. America would create more innovation, more jobs, and more long-term wealth. And, just as important, more Americans would be able to go back to being proud of our corporations and innovators and entrepreneurs... instead of camping in parks and protesting them."

The ridiculousness of SOPA

The house is about to vote on the Stop Online Piracy Act which if passed allows copyright holders to take action against sites they don't like without going to court.

From Business Insider:


For example, under SOPA, a copyright holder can go directly to Google and ask them to block all Google ads from a website that is suspected of carrying copyrighted works. If it's a commercial site, credit card companies and services like PayPal have the right to block all payments.

It's a classic "shoot first, ask questions later" move, and has the potential to be harmful to sites and services such as Dropbox that depend on user uploaded content.

Some other alarming bullet points from SOPA:

• Search engines can be required to block accused websites from results.

• Internet service providers can be required to block accused websites from their customers.

• Payment companies don't need a request from a copyright holder to block a website. Instead, they can do so on their own if the suspect a website may be posting copyrighted work without permission.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/stop-online-piracy-act-2011-10

Other information can be read on these other sites
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111027/00083116531/e-parasites-bill-end-internet-as-we-know-it.shtml

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/10/house-takes-senates-bad-internet-censorship-bill-makes-it-worse.ars

This is not good folks!!

Hangover Parody - Miek Tyson, 50 Cent and Floyd Mayweather

This parody used to promote 50 Cent's energy drink includes Tyson who is hilarious.

Patriot Act turns 10

Patriot Act Turns 10, With No Signs of Retirement

This is an intersting article to see how the Patriot Act has been used over the past 10 years. The fact that it seems to be hardly used for terrorist reasons is surprising. This law has always disturb me how it basically violates large parts of the fourth amendment The lack of needing a court issued warrant for acquiring phone, banking and other records has led the FBI and other federal agencies to issue national security letters asserting that the information they need is relevant to an ongoing terrorism or national security investigation. According to the article less than 1% of letters are related to terrorism. Most appear to be drug related.

The American public needs to wake up and start giving a dam about what this act does and how it invades our privacy. As Sen. Ron Wyden from Oregon states “We’re getting to a gap between what the public thinks the law says and what the American government secretly thinks the law says.“When you’ve got that kind of a gap, you’re going to have a problem on your hands.” This gap is growing people and if no action is taken soon our privacy will be basically gone.

I understand that after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, there was a need to quickly come up with measures to make America safer. However, the Bush administration's approach and strategy was deeply flawed and they pressured lawmakers to pass the measure quickly. The normal legislative and review process in both chambers of congress never happened. There was no public debate, no agency review and no judicial examination It didn't help that the Justice Department's (mainly AG John Ashcroft) numerous threat after threat warnings forced dissenting congressmen to keep quiet and follow the wishes of the administration so as not to be labeled unpatriotic. As Michael Moore showed in Fahrenheit 9/11 a number of lawmakers didn't even read the act or show even a desire to read it. This is a known problem with a lot of legislation as it is basically incomprehensible to understand unless you have a JD.

Unfortunately I don't see this act being repealed or diminished in its powers any time in the distant future. The average American doesn't care or even understand what this act does and our politicians are so bought off and partisan that they only vote based on what their donors want or how their party leaders tell them to vote.

Are we safer than we were 10 years ago...I guess we are, but is it because of the Patriot Act...I doubt it.

Conan O'Brien - Siri commercial

Final Battlefield 3 trailer

Tuesday is gonna be a big day in the video game world as the potential game of the year is released. Man this game looks amazing. I've already pre-ordered my copy from Best Buy. Can't wait to get killed by 10 year old kids during the on-line play.

Feist - "The Bad in Each Other" & How Come "You Never Go There" on Jools Holland

From her new album "Metals" which is one of the best albums of the year. Much better than her second album and approaching the greatness of her debut solo album.

Michael Winslow - 'Whole Lotta Love"

Wait for the electric guitars. Winslow from Police Academy Fame is amazing. Always been a fan and he hasn't lost anything with age.

Taking a squash ball hit at 175mph! - Cameron Pilley

What was this guy thinking?????

Coldplay - "Paradise"

Not sure what this video means with the elephants and all but the song is catchy and better than Every Tear is a Waterfall. Mylo Xyloto is their next album coming out next Tuesday and I will be buying it on that day. I'm expecting this to be their most pop album to date and I have my doubts about it standing up to their previous efforts. I heard the song they did with Rhiana and my first impression was nothing great but I will need to listen to it more. I know they want to be the biggest band in the world and they are on their way if they aren't already but maybe staying true to their roots instead of trying to change the wheel every time might be better. I guess I just yearn for something closer to Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Ryan Adams on Conan O'Brien - "Lucky Now"

Adams is back and returning to his old form. It's amazing someone so talented is not more mainstream. Enjoy and pick up his Album Ashes and Fire...I did!

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The Death Of You And Me

The former lyricist and lead guitarists of Oasis is out with his first solo album. This is his first single. Much better than his brother Liam's attempt with his new band Beady Eye who are a bunch of Beatle wannabes.

Damien Rice - "One"

One by Damien Rice

Irish folk singer Damien Rice doing a nice mellow cover of U2 famous song "One." This is part of a cover album celebrating the 20th anniversary of "Achutng Baby"

Lykke Li - "Unchained Melody"

Lykke Li - Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers Cover) by LykkeLi

Listen to the Swedish Songstress cover The Righteous Brothers class "Unchained Melody." She sounds amazing as usual but during the middle the slow pace is a little too slow for my liking but the beginning and end make up for it. Fans of hers will like it, people who don't know her will still prefer the original which truly can never be touched.

OccupyWallStreet... What Doesn't the Media Get?

Another post by the insightful Two Clubs. This time discussing the spreading protest called OccupyWallStreet and the medias reaction

There is a lot of disinformation going on in the media today but none more egregious than that surrounding the OccupyWallStreet movement. For a body that quickly jumped on the Tea Party protests, and accepted them as organic in nature, this makes little sense. What are they missing in this grassroots movement that they quickly didn’t quickly comprehend from the Tea Party movement? I find it very disturbing that the news media is having difficulty with this. This is an industry filled with highly skilled people trained to conduct investigative research and journalism. How come these people cannot spend a day talking to the masses and aggregate a series of issues which resonate with the people at the protest? Why focus on the fringe instead of focusing on the majority? Is it because the news media is incompetent at doing such basic research, or is it because their corporate masters and rich benefactors have no desire to have the issues presented in a meaningful way? Is it more beneficial for these mega corporations to downplay or outright dismiss this movement, so it does not gain traction with the people? That will be answered later, but understanding the movement may be the place to start. What is this movement about? Why have all of these people taken to the streets in numbers that make the Tea Party protests seem miniscule? Why is this movement spreading beyond Wall Street and to cities all over the country? These are the questions the news media is failing to ask and unable to figure out for themselves. Just from the limited information available through social media I’ve managed to come to several conclusions about the movement and what it stands for or what can be construed as a list of demands the media has been so hungry to hear.

First, the most common issue I am hearing is a demand for social justice. This is a fuzzy term for most but makes perfect sense in our current cultural context. Social justice is the belief that citizens are created equal and should have fair and equal access to all institutions which establish or frame our society. This philosophy also believes in the universality of human rights and the recognition of the people’s needs over that of the enterprise or state. Conservatives have long railed against social justice as they have been programmed to interpret this as redistribution of property and income. While there is some truth to this position they tend to ignore the current economic system which does just that; redistributes property and income from the middle and lower classes and funnels it to the upper class and already monied. Social justice is for defining a playing field where regulations protect the masses and give equal access to those institutions which provide opportunity for achieving high levels of economic success. The current system is set up so only those who already have access to wealth will be able to accrue further wealth. The only hope for the non-privileged set is to stumble upon wealth through an act of God, like winning the lottery or through fame by becoming a reality television star. This isn’t social justice, this cruel and unusual punishment!

The social justice this movement has identified is the stuff that everyone supposedly would agree is a human need. An individual in a YouTube video called it “the Jesus” stuff; feeding the poor, healing the sick, educating the masses, and the ability for the people to be governed by their peers. In the context of today’s society that would mean providing a living minimum wage, providing universal health care, providing quality education, and a restructuring of our government to be representative of the people and for the people. This is not a massive redistribution of wealth or property, this is establishing the basic services meeting human needs and rights as provided by almost every other westernized nation on the planet.

The second issue I hear most often is a call for fiscal responsibility and equality within the economic system. This is the same issue the Tea Party originally began to coalesce around back in 2009. There is an almost universal belief in American culture that government spending has exceeded responsible levels and much of that spending has gone to institutions that aid the already rich and privileged. Responsibility, in this context, focuses on establishing an economic climate which is more transparent and protective of those in society that do not have the means to lose a huge sum of money in an economic downturn.

The return to fiscal responsibility begins with a reinstatement of the Glass Steagall Act of 1933, repealed in 1999 by Republicans during the Clinton administration. The protections afforded by Glass Steagall contributed to the prevention of the economic failures experienced after its repeal. From the depression through to the repeal of Glass Steagall the United States did not experience the types of economic turmoil associated with the past decade. The unification of banking interests, which was prevented by Glass Steagall, allowed access to fiscal resources, in the shape of mortgages and retirement vehicles, which should have remained protected, to be gambled in the markets. These resources were used with questionable investment strategies to reap hundreds of billions of dollars in profits for those in on the scheme, and then, when the house of cards collapsed, complete losses for millions of unsuspecting Americans. Gone was the value in retirement savings and home equity, affecting almost every citizen of the country. To add insult to injury was the fact that the government gave almost a trillion dollars of tax payer money to Wall Street to reward them for their monumental screw up.

What got people up in arms in 2009 was the fact that the funds were given at all. What has the OccupyWallStreet people up in arms is that the funds were given to Wall Street with no oversight or transparency. That money was given without any strings attached and, instead of being used to kick start the economy, was instead reinvested to garner more wealth for those who cashed in on the crash of the economy. The rich got richer on the backs of the same people who lost everything. This boils down to another demand for justice, but not of the social variety. Protesters have pointed out that billions of dollars was stolen from unsuspecting investors, the public coffers were also raided, and not a single criminal charge has been leveled against those responsible for this meltdown. The people are demanding to see where their money is being spent and by whom. They are calling for an audit of the Federal Reserve to find out just how badly the American people have been shafted.

The third issue that comes up with regularity is the belief in individual rights over corporate rights. The constitution was drafted by living, breathing individuals. Corporations were not on the radar when James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights, based on the ideas and writings of John Locke, the father of Liberalism. The idea of a non-living, non-self-aware entity being granted the rights afforded that of a living person would certainly cause both thinkers to go on at lengths about men, property and fruits of one’s labor. Contemplating that corporations, those socialistic collectives used to make money, should pay less tax than the average citizen would send either man into a fit of rebellious outrage. In the context of their day, the idea of a corporation having rights beyond that of an individual is just, well, un-American. It is this belief that has led the OccupyWallStreet set to point to draconian laws, like Citizens United, as being counter to the continued growth of individuals in the United States. As long as corporations continue to hold greater power than the individual, and have the ability to negatively affect our democratic processes, the system is set up for abuses which force the citizenry into indentured servitude to those same corporations. The repeal of Citizens United, and a re-examination of the tax code to eliminate all loop holes that give corporations greater benefits than those afforded to the poorest in this country is a foundation for positive change.

The fourth point is one that the Tea Party folk were also in favor of at the beginning of their protests. Constitutional compliance come front and center to the OccupyWallStreet cause. One person, one vote, and one democracy. When lobbyists can grease the gears of power in Washington with vast sums of money from corporations and special interests, buying favor to pass legislation favorable to their specific cause rather than the general good, our democracy becomes undemocratic, nay, an illiberal democracy. When corporations assume control of our democratic processes they control our government, without oversight or protections afforded individuals under the constitution. Elimination of special interests from the democratic process must take place if we are to save our system of government and our country.

Another point to be made on the OccupyWallStreet movement and the treatment in the media is on the rhetoric being fired back and forth. The Tea Party is being hoisted up on a pedestal as an example of a grass roots movement who had a message and carried it through, unlike these bongo playing hippies. I would like to remind the mass media, and you readers, that the Tea Party was, and on the grass roots level, still is fractured in their beliefs and message. Only that segment of the Tea Party which was co-opted by special interest money from the likes of Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Works, both off shoots of Citizens for a Sound Economy funded by big industry players, have found a common message, one borne in the minds of the staff of a well-funded conservative think tank. The real Tea Partiers, unaffiliated with the Glenn Becks or Sarah Palins or Michelle Bachmanns, believe the same core principals the Occupy Wall Street people are preaching. In fact, if you look closely, you will see the Gadsden flag represented in the mix at these protests, because this is not an ideological protest, this is a humanist protest.

Finally, I’ve heard that these people are “engaged in class warfare,” but this makes little sense. How does a group with no weapons (special interest money, bought-politicians, corporate controlled media, etc.) initiate a war against those who have those WMDs in spades? The idea is preposterous and is the mass media deflecting the true intentions of their corporate masters. The mass media has not spent a day talking to the masses and aggregate a series of issues which resonate with the people at the protest because that would expose that these people are informed and understand what is happening to them. The media instead focuses on the fringe, attempting to discredit the cause and dissuade anyone else from joining the ranks. It is not because the news media is lazy at doing such basic research, but it is because their corporate masters and rich benefactors have no desire to have the issues presented in a meaningful way. Is it more beneficial for these mega corporations to downplay or outright dismiss this movement, so it does not gain traction with the people and threaten their grip on power and their ability to steal billions from the country on a monthly basis. These people, young and old, have the audacity to challenge the current economic and political systems and these corporations will do everything in their power to shut them down for the good of their bank accounts and to the detriment of ours. We can only hope that the 99% can continue to put up a good fight and win this battle.

The Joy Formidable - "Whirring"

Portugal the Man - "So American"

Get More: Portugal. The Man, Music, More Music Videos

Siri app a game changer

History of Siri

Portishead on Jimmy Fallon - "Chase the Tear"

Hard to believe this iconic band hasn't been on US network tv in 13 years. I know many of you out there may not get their music or their sound especially after their last album "Third" which was a departure for them from their groundbreaking first album "Dummy" and their second which is personally one of my favorite albums of all time "Portishead". Listen to that album and you will be amazed. They don't like labels but back in 1994-1998 they were the kings of Trip Hop. They have sort of moved on from that genre and kinda hard to place them now but Beth Gibbons is still haunting in her lyrics and singing and the extraordinary musicianship of Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley is still top notch.

Bright Eyes - "No One Would Riot For Less" Clueless Dubstep Remix

Download Bright Eyes No One Would Riot For Less Clueless Dubstep Remix

Remix from a deepcut on Cassadega...Bright Eyes, true geniuses!

Bright Eyes & First Aid Kit's "We're Going To Be Friends" White Stripes Cover

Download Bright Eyes We're Going To Be Friends (The White Stripes cover)

Adele - "Someone Like You"

Florence and the Machine - "Shake it Out"

Feist on Letterman - "How Come you Never Go There"

Classy Act by Google

RIP Steve Jobs

Portugal the Man - "So American" Conan O'Brien Show

Making their network debut. Not sure why it has taken these guys so long to get on network TV. They are an amazing band and this is something like their 6th album.

Sleeper Agent - "Get it Daddy"

Theophilus London - "Wine and Chocolates"

Facebook and their lemmings

I am not on Facebook and will try to go as long as possible in life without joining. I understand all the positives my friends and family tell me about the ability to share and stay in touch. However, this is easily overcome by staying in touch the old way via phones call, emails, etc. Also, I don’t have a desire to share such trivial information about what I’m doing, where I am at or have been and frankly I don’t care much about what others do. I know I’m a minority on this. However, the main reason that I don’t join Facebook is they scare me more than any other company in the history of mankind. Blackwater don’t scare me as much as these guys. I know other tech companies such as Google collect and analyses tons of data off each visitor to their sites and that is scary in itself but Facebook takes it a step beyond. They have now confirmed they track you now when you aren’t logged in to their sites. Cookies have been around since the browser was created but Facebook takes this a step further.

We know what you are doing

The other things that annoys me about the proliferation of Facebook is other sites now require you to login with a Facebook account and if you don’t then you have to create one or you are out of luck. A recent example of this is Spotify requiring this. I have also seen this is certain musical bands requiring Facebook accounts for advance ticket sales and other special items.


No account no access


I don’t trust Facebook. They have amazing brilliant talent and are led by a young brilliant leader who is also maniacal. This guy wants to rule the tech world and one day he will. He will eventually be the richest man in the world once they go IPO and continue to grow. I feel with their technology and the AI they have created and will create, they will be able to easily personalize everything and tell you everything about everybody. This should scare everyone but yet the lemmings keep joining and jumping off that ledge.

London Trader predicts Euro Crash

Howard Lederer - "The Heroes of poker don't cheat"

Words of Wisdom from Full Tilt owner Howard "The Professor" Lederer.

Change 100 on why Full Tilt is not a Ponzi Scheme

FTP is not a ponzi scheme but in my book are still thieves. I agree with Change 100 in all that she says however, they are scum and horrible managers of FTP. Hopefully the French investor stuff from yesterday comes to fruition and people can get their money back. Don't hold your breath though. With the DOJ making the statement Ponzi Scheme, this has set on-line poker return tot he US back probably another couple of years. Maybe by 2014 we will have it back.

Girl with a Dragon Tattoo - Extended Trailer

You can prety much see the whole stroy int his trailer except who the killer is. Having seen the original, I know who the killer is but that is not going to stop me from seeing this. The score and soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross sounds amazing. I bet they repeat their Oscar victory from this year for The Social Network.

Fincher has done a good job of making Rooney Mara unattractive looking. The original had Noomi Rapace who I don't find as attractive as Mara but she looks better in the role as Lisbeth Salander. Maybe because she was the original, not sure.

Rapace as Salander

Mara as Salander

Rooney Mara looking her normal cute self.

Rachel Crow - X Factor Performance

Coldplay - Paradise - David Letterman 9-20-11

Hearing it live I like it even more.

Weird Al - 'Your Pitiful'

Just found out about this. Hilarious!! Weird Al is genius!

Yahoo blocking Occupy Wall Street emails

http://readersupportednews.org/off-site-news-section/68-68/7517-yahoo-admits-to-blocking-wall-street-protest-emails

Yahoo took measures yesterday to fix an issue where supposedly their spam filters were blocking anyone trying to send an email with the text occupy wall street demonstrations.Very suspicious why their filters would block that text string specifically. With their track record regarding Chinese dissidents this leads me to believe this was not an accident.

More Words we need to understand - Government Expansion

Editors Note: Two Clubs is back with another essay detailing government expansion. Once again another insightful well written piece.

More words we need to understand… This post is another in a series about pervasive content in the zeitgeist and terms we need to understand. The topic of today’s post is Expansion of Government.

There is a very common talking point prevalent in all conservative discussions about government. That is, the size of the institution and how obtrusive it is in our lives. The familiar meme is to discuss how Democrats, or more importantly, liberals, have greatly contributed to the expansion of government, increased the amount of tax dollars required to support the beast and infringed upon our rights as Americans from oppressive taxation. The narrative has been repeated for decades and has stuck in the public consciousness. The average American firmly believes that Democrats are responsible for the vast majority of government expansion and spending. This article will examine the facts behind these claims and try to distill some truth to the meme.

It doesn’t take an economist or a rocket scientist to pigeonhole government expansion. A simple look at the budget will tell us where our money is being spent. If we look at each of the major line items, and see when and who created these departments, we should begin to see how the expansion of government took place and under whose watch.

The 2010 budget called for discretionary spending to the tune of $1.378 trillion dollars. That is up 13.8% from 2009. There are talking heads in the media that will claim this to be proof of the expansion of government, but this is just the cost of doing business with the institutions passed from administration to administration. While the dollars spent are important, it is actually the portfolios themselves which give us the markers of government expansion.

The number one line item on the discretionary spending list is the Department of Defense. This is a complex and nuanced portfolio to examine so will be discussed last. The next line item is the Department of Health and Human Services ($78.7B). This portfolio was created under the Harding administration. I don’t think that anyone will argue that this is a much needed portfolio and that the intent was positive. This contributed to the growth of our nation and the rights of many citizens. It allowed for many programs that protected the nation poverty and disease. For this discussion it is important to note that the portfolio was created by a Republican administration. It should also be noted that the Department of Education ($46.7B) was a component of this portfolio, but was spun out into its own portfolio by the Democratic Clinton Administration so it would become more nimble and reactive. This was not an expansion, but an attempt to make government more responsive in a key aspect of maintaining American market superiority.

The number three line item is the Department of Transportation ($72.5B). This portfolio was created under the Johnson administration and was an effort to manage the flow of people and products in and around our nation. This folio leveraged the incredible infrastructure the Eisenhower administration left behind with the implementation of the interstate hi-way network and assumed responsibilities of maintenance and expansion of the system. This “expansion of government”, another greatly needed portfolio, was created by a Democratic administration.

The Department of Veteran Affairs ($52.5B) is next on the hit parade. Established under the Hoover administration this portfolio assumed all responsibilities for managing those special needs of those who served in the defense of our nation. Not much needs to be said about a portfolio created to look after those who would elect to protect those who cannot protect themselves. The Republicans did the right thing when this department was created.

The next line item is the State Department ($51.7B), a portfolio which has been around since the adoption of the constitution. For this conversation, focusing on the expansion of government, this department gets a pass, unless someone wants to take a run at Washington, Jefferson, Madison, et al.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development ($47.5B) is the next portfolio on the budget. Created by the Johnson administration during the Civil Rights movement this was a department focused on the poor and disenfranchised in the nation and helping them find acceptable housing and living conditions. The other side of this cabinet coin is the urban renewal projects it encourages, limiting sprawl and inner city decay. Another valuable portfolio founded by a Democratic administration.

Six of the next seven line items were created by Republican administrations. The Department of Homeland Security ($42.7B) was created under the Bush (43) administration, the Department of Agriculture ($26B) was created under the Lincoln administration, the Department of Justice ($23.9B) was created under the Grant administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ($18.7B) was established under the Eisenhower administration, the Department of Commerce ($13.8B) was founded under the Teddy Roosevelt administration and the Department of Labor ($13.3B) was created under the Taft administration. The only exception to the Republican domination in this regard is the Department of Energy ($26.3B), created under the Carter administration.

One of the greatest ironies in the expansion of government, and the endless harping about government interference in business, is the Environmental Protection Agency ($10.5B), established under the Republican Nixon administration. This is the last of the $10 billion plus portfolios and give us a good idea of the size of government and who was responsible for the expansion.

The last portfolio to discuss is actually the first mentioned, and most complex to understand, the Department of Defense. It is not common to consider defense spending expansion of government, but this is a government body identified in the constitution and paid for through direct taxation. Any increase in spending in this regard is then a direct expansion of government.

The Department of Defense was established under the Democratic Truman administration immediately after WWII. This unification of the armed forces under the Joint Chiefs was as much budgetary as it was strategic. The creation of this new portfolio is just scratching the surface of government expansion and who was responsible. The inflationary numbers under certain administrations tells the full story.

The real spending sprees began with Vietnam. Under the Johnson (D) administration the military spending ranged from $333.1B - $449.3B for a total of $1,550.6B during his term. The first Nixon (R) term saw a minor overall increase in spending to $1,558.8B, but a rapid decrease in spending from year-to-year, dropping from $438.1B - $283.8B. In the second Nixon term we saw the last great reduction in spending under a Republican president, where the military spending shrank 23.7% down to $1,190.1B over four years. The Carter (D) administration reduced the military budget by another 3.2%, down to $1,152.1B over his four year term.

The Reagan terms in office were a return to vast expansion of the military and size of government. During Reagan’s first term the military expanded greatly with direct spending returning to near Vietnam levels. Spending increased by 21.97% and totaled $1,405.2B in Reagan’s first term. In his second term the Republican president increased spending another 20.88% to a record $1,689.3B. The expenditures and size of the military were never larger and would only be surpassed by another Republican president, a decade and a half later.

Under the first Bush president spending was reduced by a modest 6.7%, but still maintaining spending levels above that of the war time Vietnam era. The $1,575B in spending maintained much of the expansion the Reagan years has forced upon the nation. The Clinton administration saw spending continue to shrink. During his first term Clinton decrease the size of the military and spending by 15.8%, reducing total spending to $1,326.2B. Clinton further decreased spending by 8.7% to a total of $1,212.1B. The budget, and size of government, was becoming smaller and easier to manage. Then came W.

George W. Bush was the spending champion. During his first term in office military spending expanded from $307.8B to $494.4B, or $1,497B for an increase of 23.53%. Bush was even more reckless in his second term, increasing spending another 37.1%, to an incredible $2,053B. This is just his spending on the military and does not include the contracts made under other agencies for services in Iraq and Afghanistan. Considering there was almost a 1:1 ratio of contractors to military personnel in Iraq by the end of the Bush administration you get the sense that the numbers are much higher than captured in a budget report. When you add into the mix the tax cuts, which are in effect nothing more but deferred spending, a disturbing trend emerges.

The massive expansion of government has actually taken place under Republican administrations. Of the 16 departments with a budget over $10B (not including the DoD), only three were created by Democratic administrations, and one (Transportation) was a direct fallout of a Republican program (the interstate system) and another (Education) was split off for efficiency purposes. The greatest expansion of government has taken place in the military-industrial complex, with the greatest expansion taking place under Reagan and Bush 43. Democrats have been largely responsible for the reduction in government spending, or at worst, shifting of spending to much needed domestic programs.

A lot can be said about the complexity of government and what it provides for the American people. If you bother to take a look at this “expansion” you can see it was mostly done for the right reasons, regardless of who did it. All of the departments were developed to look after the common good, to provide for the weakest, knowing that by doing so would make our country stronger. The overall management of the system maybe a failure, and require some retooling, but overall the portfolios make sense. Where we get into problems is the philosophy of how the system should work. Where we fail is how the bill gets paid.

The Republican philosophy is to borrow to pay for programs. The Democrat philosophy is to tax to pay for programs. The Democrats tax and then spend, in a balanced budget approach. This has given the Republicans much ammunition to develop narratives about the Democrats and liberals. While there is some truth in the meme they have developed, the narrative about expansion of government is highly inaccurate.

As this exercise has shown the expansion of government took place on the Republican watch, with much of the negative aspects as a result of military spending. It is ironic that an out-going Republican President (Eisenhower) would warn us of the quickly expanding military-industrial complex and the potential harm it could do to our country, yet his own party would ignore his prescient comments. Instead of acknowledging their role in the expansion of government the Republicans have instead chosen to obfuscate and develop narratives about how “tax and spend Democrats” have got us in this fiscal mess. I only hope that one day the Democrats will find some spine and mount a counter attack, identifying the Republicans as the true source of government expansion and label them accordingly, as the “credit card conservatives” they have turned out to be.

Full Tilt Poker a Ponzi Scheme

Forbes
ESPN
Lederer was one of my original poker idols. I even bought his instructional videos back in 2004. Now he is just a thief. Known this for a while but this new statements by the SDNY makes me cringe.

Florence & The Machine - "Shake it Out"

Truth about Angry Birds

http://www.mactrast.com/2011/09/infographic-the-truth-about-angry-birds-addiction/

Merchant vs Mayweather - What a face!

Merchant vs Mayweather

Example - 'Changed the Way You Kissed Me"

U.S. Debt Simplified

Coldplay - "Paradise"

Juicing update through day 10

Well yesterday was day 10 of my juicing diet. I have decided to end it after 10 days. Not because I'm craving real food. The biggest issue for me is I'm tired of juice. The taste of it has coated my mouth and it is driving me nuts. In fact the last 2 days I hardly drank any juice. I just ate the veggies and fruits raw mostly. So after 10 days of juicing I lost a grand total of 8.9lbs. I started at 204.5 and ended ar 195.6. 10 days exceeds what I thought I could do. I'm not that disappointed to end today instead of going for 15. I just can't stand the juice taste in my mouth. It is really bad. So today starts phase 2 of my diet. More consistent working out, eating healthier smaller portions and incorporate my fruits and veggies into my diet. I'll probably post updates weekly.

Glen Hansard & Eddie Vedder - "Falling Slowly"

To of the greatest singer songwriters of my generation. The vastly underrated and not well known Glen Hansard and of course Eddie Vedder, the voice of Pearl Jam. Fallen Slowly

Windows 8 Boots Up Faster Than a Bull Ride

10 second boot time for Windows 8.

Week 1 in the books of Juice Fast

So week one of the juice fast is in the books. I have dropped 8.5lbs and I feel really good except for one thing that will probably derail my 15 days goal. My mouth has this annoying awful dry taste of juice that won't go away. It is driving me nuts. I'm thinking once I hit 10 days which would be Monday morning to call it quits and get on with phase 2 of my diet. This taste is disgusting.

Jimmy Fallon & Eddie Vedder - Balls in Your Mouth

The Great Tobias Funke

Hockey Funeral for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl

http://deadspin.com/5838700/

Excellent piece on Yahoo's Options

With the recent and long overdue firing of CEO Carol Bartz, Yahoo now has many options on its plate in its attempt to possibly return to its former glory. Ashkan Karbasfrooshan writing a contributing piece for tech crunch states these options. I have to say I agree with his analysis. Basically they should do now what they should have done 3-4 years ago. Sell to Microsoft if MS offers them a fair price or sell their Asian assets and gain 15-30 billion in market cap.
Yahoo's Options

Day 6 of Juice Fast

So last night I finally had my my body react to this diet. I was hungry and decided to have a bowl of some raw veggies and fruits because I needed something solid in me. So I had small bowl of some spinach, carrots, strawberries, watermelon and some pineapple. I then decided to throw in a couple of jalapeno's from a jar to give it some spice. I pretty sure that is what caused me to be in the bathroom multiple times last night and even this morning. I actually feel great and refreshed right now. Down to 196.4 which means I've dropped 8.1lbs since last Friday. Great to see results too. Still hoping to make 15 days but it seems so far away...just gotta take it one day at a time.

Days 4 and 5 of Juice Fast

So today is nearing the end of day 5. Tonight has been really tough. Really hungry and not feeling super hot. Today was my first back at work since the diet began. If I'm being honest, it is going to be really tough to make it 15 days. I always said 10 days would be a victory but I really wanted to shoot for 15. Not giving in yet but the taste of juice (regardless of variety) is starting to get to me. Really tired of it. Been drinking more water today which hasn't helped much. Weight is good as I'm below 200lbs for the first time in probably 2-3 years. Down to 198. Anyways more updates to come.

Days 2 & 3 of Juice fast

So I've made it through day 3 of my juice diet. So far so good. Went to Sprouts yesterday and bought tons of produce and made my fruit medley juice which I have for the past 2 days. This morning I made the green juice with kale, kiwi, apples, grapes and pears also. I'll have that tomorrow also along with trying a grapefruit juice mix which I'm still deciding on what to add. I'm below 200lbs which is good and I feel great. Not sluggish or anything but I honestly have not done much this weekend in terms of physcial activity. I think Tuesday will be my first test as I'm back at work and plan to hit the gym for the first time in probably two months. I am hungry at times and wanting to devour some unhealthy stuff but have been good and refrained.

Tonight I watched a great documentary called Forks over Knives. I highly recommend people watch this just as much as fat sick and nearly dead. Very inspirational and made me want to cut a large portion of meat out of my diet and go more whole foods as they call it. I don't think I could ever be a full-time vegetarian but I do need to eat significantly less animal products.

Theophilus London - I Stand Alone [Official Video]

Day 1 of Juice Fast

So weighed my self yesterday morning and weighed 204.6. I started my morning with a juice I made the night before of carrots, orange and strawberries. Got to work and with the help of many co-workers who are starting to juice also we had a mini juicing party throughout the day. Had a veggi juice in the morning but can't remember the ingredients besides Kale. Took a little while to get used to it but I eventual did. At lunch we all went to sprouts and bought tons of stuff. I first whipped up 1 whole cantaloupe 1 whole pineapple 3 whole nectarines 1 pound strawberries which made a tasty juice. My coworker made 2 handfuls kale 2 oranges 1 pear 1 kiwi which tasted good. I did this also but added some grapes which made it even better. When I got home I juiced up a quarter of a watermelon, 2 nectarines and 2 kiwi's and added a can of coconut water. Not bad but I think adding some strawberries would help it. Weighed myself this morning and my scale said 201.2. Sometimes I wonder how accurate my scale but I'll take it. Had hunger pains in the afternoon but made it through easily. Today is day 2. wish me luck.

Fat Sick and Nearly Dead

So a few weeks back I finally got around to watching the documentary Fat Sick and Nearly Dead by Australian Joe Cross. In one word the movie is "INSPIRATIONAL". Well done and so inspiring it made me want to go by a Breville juicer and begin a fast.

Well after scouring the Internet and realizing all the models I wanted were sold out I got a Breville JE95XL version off of eBay for the same price it would have cost me from Breville themselves. Today it arrived and I made my first juice of carrots, celery and apples in no time. Less than a minute I juiced 4 medium sized apples, 3 carrots and 4 stalks of celery which produced over 20oz's of juice. Not the most tasty concoction but drinkable and a good start. It is also super easy to clean.

I will begin a fast Friday. My plan is to attempt a 15 day fast. Realistically I think it is feasible but won't be easy. I think 10 days is a success but am shooting for 15. I'm stoked and going to take it very seriously. After that I will see how I feel and if I think I can do it another 15 days I'll give that a shot. If not then I'll just start eating healthier, smaller portions and incorporate juicing into my diet daily along with exercise of course. I'll document my juices daily on this blog and inform everyone of my weight loss (hopefully).

I highly recommend watching the documentary. It is well done. Even if you aren't interested in juicing it is worth seeing.

Below is a pic of my first juice I've ever made.

Middle Class Rut - "New Low"

Childish Gambino - "Freaks and Geeks"

Yes, this is the actor Donny Glover who plays Troy on Community. Just found out he raps too and not bad.

St. Lucia - All Eyes on You

Bad Meets Evil - 'Lighters" feat Bruno Mars

Ed Sheeran - You Need Me, I Don't Need You

Acoustic version

Bon Iver & James Blake - Fall Creek Boys Choir

The sad tale of Ric Flair

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6891795/the-wrestler-real-life

John Huntsman - What a republican should be

I saw this last Sunday and finally found video on you tube. Right now if I had to vote for a republican, it would be John Huntsman. The most level headed experienced member out of all of them. Former governor of Utah and ambassador to China. I know he won't get the nomination but it would be nice. I think he appeals to independents like me, just like Obama did back in 2008. Still early but the republican political machine won't back a moderate republican for President. They would prefer the radical right like Bachman, Perry or Palin. Romney won't get the support either. He is too centrist, even if he tries to flip flop his ideals all the time.

Ryan Adams - Lucky Now

First single off his new album due out in October.

Florence and the Machine - "What the Water Gave Me"

New Florence and the Machine video. I assume this is the debut song off her new album which should drop in November.

WebOS shut down by HP

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-20094222-92/hp-halts-webos-business-spins-off-pc-unit/?tag=topStories

Today HP announced it is shutting down its webOS unit. I can't say I am surprised. Even though the webOS is slick and looks and handles well, it really had no chance against Apple's iOS and Google's Android OS. HP took a gamble in purchasing them which in my opinion was a bad idea. Then they announced plans to make webOS power their lines of PC's which also I thought was a poor idea. The problem for webOS was a lack of developer involvement. It is all about the apps and the webOS had very little compared to Android and Apple. This made the webOS phones have no shot nor its touch pad tablet. I think the future for HP is bleak. They are trying to become like IBM and that will take time. Took IBM over 10 years to be what it is today after getting out of the commercial hardware business. With HP wanting to spin or sell off it's pc unit, they will attempt to focus on servers and services. Good luck with that. I expect other players to swoop in and take market share from them.

Dell founder Michael Dell had the best tweet


MichaelDell
If HP spins off their PC business....maybe they will call it Compaq?

Maroon 5 - Moves Like Jagger

This is why Erik Seidel is the best Tournament poker player in the world

Hand #108: Erik Seidel Doubles Up
Chino Rheem has the button.

Erik Seidel raises to 70,000 and Rheem makes the call. The flop comes AAK and Seidel bets 105,000. Rheem calls and the turn is the 7. Seidel fires 180,000 and Rheem puts in a raise to 405,000 total.

Seidel thinks for a few moments before counting out some chips. Finally, he makes the call and the river comes the 4. Seidel checks and Rheem announces that he is all-in.

Seidel stares at the board for about six minutes before saying "Sorry guys" to his tablemates. He starts to stare down Rheem, which prompts Rheem to pull his hat down over his face.

Finally, he announces call and turns over 75 for two pair. Rheem says "It's good." and Erik Seidel doubles up to 2,683,000.

Gingrich shuts Wallace up

Never been a Gingrich fan but I love him telling Chris Wallace to basically STFU!

He does make some good points about Congress needing to come back Monday and instituting lean 6 sigma initiatives.

How Come You Never Go There - Feist

Just released audio of Feist's new single off her upcoming album "Metals". Hoepfully this album has her returning to her debut album form because her last album was a disappointment for me, even though it was a huge commercial success.

Contagion trailer

What an all star cast.

Sherlock Holmes 2 Trailer

Didn't realize Noomi Rapace is in this film. She was amazing in the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo trilogy as Lisbeth Salander.

I guess Plaxico Buress was lucky he wasn't this guy

7 year old signed by Real Madrid

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6843531/real-madrid-signs-7-year-old-argentine-prospect-leonel-angel-coira

This is ridiculous. Gimme a break. What's next, a fetus is signed.

Lykke Li - "Jerome" Acoustic Session

Bravo Ms. Giffords, Bravo

ISP Bandwith Hikes are a joke

http://www.cringely.com/2011/07/bandwidth-caps-are-rate-hikes/

Another insightful piece by Robert Cringley.

Basically we continue to pay way too much while the costs go down for the ISP's.

Gmail Man

Very funny video and some good points made by Microsoft. I've never been a huge fan of gmail, partly because of the scanning of the context for ad purposes.

One of the dirtiest poker plays ever

What a disgusting angle shoot. He should have been kicked out of the tournament since he had done this multiple times in the same tournament. He pulls this stunt at the final table of the biggest EPT event of the year. I can't believe the US player wasn't more upset. I got the vibe from him he didn't even understand why this was such an angle shoot. You can see the disgust from the player Macerias next to him. Just awful.

Angry Birds Live in Barcelona

Awesome promotion

Amazing space images from Nasa

It is a shame that our space program will practically be non-existent for the next few years. So many discoveries and inventions have come from space and not mention the pride we should have as a country. The United States has accomplished a lot in it's space program and I believe still will.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-awesome-images-that-will-make-you-mourn-space-shuttle/

Michelle Bachman solved marrriage

Right on Dave Grohl

Theophilus London - Girls Girls $

CD out next Tuesday. Picking this one up of this inventive hip hop artists.

Rilo Kiley Breaks Up?

I hope they haven't. One of my favorite indie bands ever.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/rilo-kiley-breaks-up-amid-allegations-of-disloyalty-20110713

Enjoy some of their work here


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtyhWo8qngk&feature=player_detailpage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVtSSCzASR0&feature=player_detailpage

Michele Bachman on CO2

God, if you do exist please do the right thing and don't let her get elected. The best part of this speech is when she says "What part of human activity creates carbon dioxide" "Human activity only contributes 3% of the 3% CO2 in the atmosphere"

Man she is truly dumb. First in case she isn't aware, the human activity of breathing causes CO2 to be expunged from our body. Right there is a human activity that contributes. Now of course that is negligble but our increase use of fossil fuels and our destructioon of rain forest and other natural habitats increases the CO2 amounts. It is scientific fact that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere have increased year by year and decade by decade. This is indisputable. Why people of Bachman's ilk continue to believe otherwise is horrifically dangerous to the world and poor representation for their constituents. But then again, ignorance, naivete and a severe lack of caring runs rampant in this world, especially in America.