The fucking computer is down.

The Curveball Report regrets to inform our loyal readership (estimated at approximately... well, approximately zero) that my daily schedule of publication has been interrupted by technical problems. But I've been working hard at getting my best yard sale computer in shape for continued publication, probably tomorrow. I'm using it right now, so the prospects are good.

Anyone who has embraced the alternate lifestyle known as "Linux Geek" will probably relate when I tell you that whenever my fancy, multithreading, P4 computer goes down, a perverse part of me rejoices at the prospect of using my Linux skills (which are below average for a Linux Geek, but excellent for a normal person) to get the maximum performance out of a computer that cost me 20 bucks, with another 30 bucks thrown in for a new CD ROM drive. In this case, we're talking about a Gateway 2000 Pentium II with 192 megabytes of RAM. I've been trying to find just the right version of Linux. Last time this happened, I ran SUSE 10.0 and got good results. This time, I've installed SUSE 10.1, and it seems slower than before, so I'm downloading the SUSE 10.0 disks right now. By the time the disks finish downloading, I'll decide if I really want to start all over again.

Democrats' Victory Is Felt On K Street

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer



The Democrats' takeover of Congress this month has turned official Washington upside down.

Labor and environmental representatives, once also-rans in congressional influence, are meeting frequently with Capitol Hill's incoming Democratic leaders. Corporations that once boasted about their Republican ties are busily hiring Democratic lobbyists. And industries worried about reprisals from the new Democrats-in-charge, especially the pharmaceutical industry, are sending out woe-is-me memos and hoping their GOP connections will protect them in the crunch.

more...

Ten things I'm thankful for

1. Richard Stallman-- the father of free software. If not for Stallman, Linus Torvalds would be world famous as the inventor of nothing, and I'd be running Windows. God bless you Richard, even if you are an athiest.

2. My parents' divorce. My parents divorced when they were around my present age and I had just left home. Divorce can be painful for the children, even when the children are grown, but when you see your parents undergo wrenching change in midlife and go on to be succesful and happy, it can also become a helpful and instructive example for one to follow.

3. Jon Stewart and 4. Cat Litter for making life with six cats and George W. Bush bearable.

5. My Pedometer because I appear to be losing weight.

6. Michael J. Fox for helping to expose You-Know-Who for the ignorant, bullying, self-aggrandizing, and above all lying sack of you-know-what that he is, and always has been.

7. Blogger, for making me a published author and editor.

8. Keith Olbermann, for saying what needed to be said, and for finally making glasses on men sexy.

9. Family Dollar, for rendering Walmart superfluous.

10. William Shakespeare, for The Tempest.

Bonus: The Hives, for "Main Offendor"

A Couple of N-Words Walk into a Comedy Club

by John Ridley, The Huffington Post



"As an ex-stand up, I can tell you that a comedy club isn't a place you go looking to get the abuse you just can't seem to find in daily life. The stage is a performer's domain. You protect that domain. You are not on stage to take what's given just 'cause you're getting paid. If you are attacked, you retaliate. If you can be high minded and pithy with your retribution, bravo. But if necessary, if you need to be brutal, such is the nature of things. You go for a heckler's weakness - physical failings, appearances, or stereotypes. Such as: the stereotype of SOME blacks who are unable to be demure in public. SOME blacks who are oblivious to a code of conduct.

"Some would call such individuals niggers."

more...

Malachi Ritscher, 1954-2006 Is suicide a valid form of protest?

October 2006: The last photo
According to the statements left on his website, 52-year-old Malachi Ritscher had set himself on fire to protest the war in Iraq and the politics that allowed it to happen. And thus began the same debate, among his friends, among the public, on blogs, and in comment boxes across the internet-- an argument about which of two pigeonholes we'd slot this into: Was it an important act of political protest, or the tragic end of a mentally ill person?

In my opinion, the final act of Chicago jazz musician Malachi Ritscher defies pigeonholing. There is too much courage, too much conviction... and obviously, too much crazy for us to fit this tragedy into any simple definition.

The story, from Pitchfork Media.

iheardyoumalachi.org, A memorial website.

Malachi Rischter's "autoobituary" from his website

Wikipedia


Malachi merchandise: "Buy a t-shirt and wear it daily."

Michael Richards' racist meltdown: youtube is a bitch... UPDATED!

"Shut up! Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass!"

Okay, I don't know if it's drugs, or stress, or schizophrenia, or what, but clearly TV's Kramer is no longer master of his domain. This was Mr. Richard's response to an African-American heckler. It's the apparently nostaligic reference to lynching, quoted above, and not the manic shouts of "He's a nigger! He's a nigger!" that blows this way off the racism charts. Somebody needs to visit Betty Ford.

UPDATE: The rambling, unfunny public apology from The late Show with David Letterman: with Jerry Seinfeld, Monday November 20, 2006

Stupid Republican Tricks

Republican report blames abortion for illegal immigration

"A divisive new report from a Republican-led Missouri House committee claims abortion is partly to blame for illegal immigration by causing a shortage of American workers."

(Therefore, it logically follows that teenage promiscuity and illegitimate pregnancy is our most effective weapon, right?)

Click here for complete story

Curveball SITE of the WEEK: kcrw.com

click on the screenshot to vist kcrw.com

Is KCRW-FM in Santa Monica the world's coolest radio station? Hey, I don't know, ask someone who's cool. However, I have yet to encounter a better single source of great audio programming for my PC and my portable mp3 player. Actually, kcrw.com hosts three great audio streams. One is all music, the other is all news, and the third is a live stream of KCRW's local FM programming.

KCRW is a public radio station, but unlike most public radio stations, the musical programming that KCRW specializes in is not jazz, not classical, but popular music. Most of the music falls under what may be called "adult alternative", although as the name of the most popular music show, "Morning Becomes Eclectic" suggests, the "hand-picked" musical selections can come from anywhere on the popular music map. Once I heard a duet of Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer (of the Clash) singing a Bob Marley Song. How's that for eclectic?

I'm 48 years old. I grew up listening to what is now depressingly called "Classic Rock", but I find listening to the same music from thirty years ago to be generally boring and rather sad, the contemporary stuff that's available on the radio is even more so, and unlike when i was sixteen and an avid reader of Zoo World, I've gotten out of touch with the music scene. Hell, I don't even know what "Emo" means. KCRW is a godsend for me. It turns out that there's a lot of smart, cool, grown-up music being created by and for people like me, even if we're no longer the favored advertising demographic, and KCRW sorts through it. The music is fresh and lively, but not intense, just perfect for the kind of growing up that I intend to do.

There's also a fine stable of locally produced cultural and current affairs programs, most of which are which are available for download as podcasts. One of my favorites is Left, Right, and Center", a political discussion program that's sort of like the McLaughlin group without all that ego, and with a more balanced, less conservative-weighted approach... plus Arianna Huffington! My all-time favorite is Le Show, a weekly hour of news, music, and satire from Harry Shearer. One of Shearer's specialties is "News from outside the bubble"... stories that the US corporate media is neglecting that are being picked up by rest of the world. You might be surprised!

Democrats to introduce bill to restore habeas corpus

Bob Cesca, the Huffington Post

Clearly, Senator Dodd isn't wasting any time. And apart from having an unfortunately awkward title (I know what the senator means, but it sounds like we're prosecuting effective terrorists which implies they've already effectively done something) you have to give the senator a rousing huzzah for introducing this bill now -- during the lame duck session.

Another leaked internal Fox News memo, and the crap it inspired

"And let's be on the lookout for any statements from the Iraqi insurgents, who must be thrilled at the prospect of a Dem-controlled congress."


reprinted from The Huffington Post. Click to enlarge.


The story of the memo, on Countdown with Keith Olbermann

The (unattributed?) reference to "reports of insurgents cheering in the streets" is intruiging. Assuming that Iraqis really are cheering in the street, how can anyone tell if they are insurgents?

It's amazing how Craig Gutman's commentary on Fox, (linked below) matches up with this memo pretty much exactly, in spite of apparently needing to weave the narrative of "Dems and Insurgents on the same page" out of thin air (few specifics, no quotes.).

What really gets me, though, is the single direct quote that is offered up by Fox in connection with the Gutman piece, by the Iranian Ayatollah who said that the Democratic electoral victories were " a defeat for Bush's Hawkish policies." Seriously, is that the best they could come up with? Not exactly "Death to America", is it?


Craig Gutman, formerly of Maxim, has recieved a political awakening... and obviously, he got the memo.

This is the kind of bullshit that gives bullshit a bad name. Obnoxious Right Wing Blogger with a buzz cut points out the striking similarity between terrorist reaction and liberal reaction to Democratic victories in midterm elections, without giving one single example of either. (Is this new generation of Right Wing commentators lazy? Sean Hannity would at least have shown enough initiative to make something up.) Mr. Gut then contradicts himself by saying that the policies are different, but the giddyness is the same. So how is that saying "exactly" the same thing?

We pontificate. You decide.

CNET: How the Dems will affect tech

On a wealth of topics--Net neutrality, digital copyright, merger approval, data retention, Internet censorship--a Capitol Hill controlled by Democrats should yield a shift in priorities on technology-related legislation.

Network neutrality is one of the clearest examples of a partisan rift. In the Senate, all the Republican committee members but one voted against extensive broadband regulations. These regulations are backed by Internet companies such as Google and eBay, but are opposed by telecommunications and hardware providers.

Click here for full story.

Aw geez, Trent Lott elected minority whip!

"Gentlemen, how many times must I tell you? I will not be answering any questions about my hair!"


Here's the story in The Hill.

No one dislikes Trent Lott (blowhard Republican Senator from Mississippi) more than I. I'm not really proud of this, but in 2000, in the privacy of the voting booth, I spoke the words "Fuck you, Trent Lott!", quietly to myself, as I pulled the lever for Hillary Clinton. Even so, I always thought he got a bum rap with the Strom Thurmound thing. Call me naive, but in my opinion, the statement that cost him his leadership position, sort of humorously endorsing Strom Thurmond's run for president forty years later (at Thurmond's 100th birthday celebration) wasn't overtly racist, as it has often been characterized. Maybe he was thinking racist thoughts when he said it, but everybody deserves the benefit of the doubt, including Republicans and John Kerry.

On the other hand, check out this recent statement that got practically no attention. Racist? You bet, and that's just for openers. There's about five different ways that this is offensive. It might have gotten more attention if Lott was up for relection this year, if he was still in a position of leadership, or if he hadn't said it the day before the Tom Foley scandal broke.

from CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush barely mentioned the war in Iraq when he met with Republican senators behind closed doors in the Capitol Thursday morning and was not asked about the course of the war, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said.

"No, none of that," Lott told reporters after the session when asked if the Iraq war was discussed. "You're the only ones who obsess on that. We don't and the real people out in the real world don't for the most part."

Lott went on to say he has difficulty understanding the motivations behind the violence in Iraq.

"It's hard for Americans, all of us, including me, to understand what's wrong with these people," he said. "Why do they kill people of other religions because of religion? Why do they hate the Israelis and despise their right to exist? Why do they hate each other? Why do Sunnis kill Shiites? How do they tell the difference? They all look the same to me."

Senator Lott, is it really that far beyond our comprehension? This comes from a Senator from Mississippi, a place where not so very long ago, the hatred of Americans against other Americans was written into the law, and enforced by violence that might as well have been legal, for all the consequences that perptrators had cause to fear. The primary difference between Americans and those crazy Arabs is that our hate was directed against people for not looking the same. Does that really make more sense?


What an American death squad looks like.

Screenshots for "Ubuntu Linux Christian Edition"

The three screenshots below can be clicked to enlarge.

For purposes of this blog, I'm interested in the Ubuntu Christian Edition as a part of the phenomenon of customized Linux distributions. Another example of that would be Bioknoppix, a live CD distribution that was packaged by a molecular biology professor for his students. I intend to report about the concept from a cultural perspective, nothing too geeky; this isn't a Linux blog.

The first shot shows the Ubuntu gnome desktop, featuring the famous (some might say "infamous" Ubuntu muted earthtones.

The second shot features the mozilla-firefox browser, including some interesting customizations with Christians in mind. Note the quote from scripture at the top of the frame; it changes everytime you open the browser.

The third shot demonstrates what happens when I attempt to load a porno site; the page is blocked. Needless to say, parents who don't consider themselves Christians could find such a feature useful. I sure its available outside of this distribution, but I don't know how or where to get it. (Firefox extensions, maybe?)

Obviously, I have nothing interesting to say today.

Alec Baldwin, shown here playing a Republican in Glengarry, Glen Ross

You know what I hate about my big-ass flat-screen color TV? It's one of those damnable appliances that isn't fully functional without the remote. Without the remote, I can't switch from watching the DVD player to watching broadcast television, and so while I was searching frantically for the key to my television, I missed the opening sketch from last night's Saturday Night Live which no doubt was about the Democratic sweep of Tuesday's midterm elections. That was a major disappointment. I'll bet it was good, but even if it wasn't, I bet I would have found it hilarious.

But I watched the rest of the show, and it was okay. Alec Baldwin hosted, and he has a real gift for this kind of comedy, evidenced by the fact that this was his 13th gig as SNL host. What was really remarkable about last night's show was the unusual number of surprise cameo appearances by major stars. First, during the monologue, came Tina Fey, and the black guy from 30 Rock, who apparently everyone has heard of but me. (He's really good on the show, by the way.) Another sketch featured walk-ons by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Paul McCartney. Finally, (and best of all) when Alec was doing his not-bad Tony Bennett impression, Tony Bennett himself showed up, playing a struggling Tony Bennett impersonator. For the studio audience, such a steady stream of celebrity surprises must have been a real treat. Even the New Yorkers might have been star struck.

I tried to resist the urge to put all these celebrities' names in bold type, like a gossip columnist... but then I figured, hey, what the fuck, why not?

P.S. One more level on which Rush is lying:

Make no mistake: regardless of whatever psychological or commercial need Rush Limbaugh may have to not appear humbled by the election, he'll be back to his usual Republican Water Boy duties soon, probably by Thanksgiving. He may be back to it already.

Only a competent therapist can TRULY liberate Rush Limbaugh.

Sometimes, a cigar is not just a cigar.

Rush Limbaugh on Tuesday (Election Day):

I mean, I think there's some sense the Democrats have a very high bar to reach today. They have to do better than they have projected in order for them to actually feel like this is a big sweep. If they underperform based on their own expectations, then they're going to have some things to answer for internally. But they probably won't do that. Why should they start examining themselves now, whether they win or lose?

Rush Limbaugh on Wednesday

Now, I mentioned to you at the conclusion of the previous hour that people have been asking me how I feel all night long. I got, "Boy, Rush, I wouldn't want to be you tomorrow! Boy, I wouldn't want to have to do your show! Oh-ho. I'm so glad I'm not you." Well, folks, I love being me. (I can't be anybody else, so I'm stuck with it.) The way I feel is this: I feel liberated, and I'm going to tell you as plainly as I can why. I no longer am going to have to carry the water for people who I don't think deserve having their water carried. Now, you might say, "Well, why have you been doing it?" Because the stakes are high. Even though the Republican Party let us down, to me they represent a far better future for my beliefs and therefore the country's than the Democrat Party and liberalism does.

So you lied to your followers to save the country from liberalism? Well, that didn't work out very well, did it?

Do you think it will ever occur to Rush that as long as he and his legions of adoring dittoheads are willing to "carry the water" of Republican politicians whether they deserve it or not, they're not going to get better Republican politicians? Nah. Why should he start examining himself now?

Actually, according to the transcript, what Rush said was that he lied to protect "[his] beliefs, and therefore the country's" from liberalism. The statement is bizarre on more than one level, and Freud would have a field day. Rush probably meant to say something else, but in classic Freudian fashion, his unconscious mind told the truth. When we lie to protect our beliefs, isn't that the definition of denial?

Since Tuesday's election, the denial from the conservative bloggers, posters, Karl Rove, and the rest of the Limbaugh Cult is palpable, and marginally pathological. I saw where a conservative blogger made this hilariously obvious statement: "The problem with the Republican party is its leaders". He's half right. The other part of the problem is its followers...but only because they follow such terrible leaders.

You followed them, motherfuckers! You carried their water, defended their lies, attacked their critics, parroted their ridiculous talking points about swift boat veterans and Al Gore claiming he had invented the internet. You cheered when Bill Clinton's effort to kill Osama was discouraged, maybe even derailed by their trumped up and trivial impeachment case. And now it is only defeat that spurs your contempt-- not integrity, or concern about what has been done to our country. If they had won on Tuesday, you'd still be carrying their water, and gladly. You'd be their Gunga Goddamn Din, if it could get you on the winning side. Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing.



Conservatism, once a perfectly respectable and even necessary political philosophy, has been supplanted by Conservatism, the Cult of the Winner. The psychological appeal of Cult Conservatism, which Rush Limbaugh practically invented, is obvious. You get to exalt yourself and pursue naked self-interest, which is now defined as a kind of virtue. You can even be a total bastard, cruelly mocking 9/11 widows and the disabled. Compassion toward others and simple good manners are dismissed as "political correctness". If you have the money and the power, you're basically a rock star, and the rest of the world is your hotel room. And if you don't have the power, at least you can identify with those who do.

And yet, through a fanatical but superficial devotion to the trappings of patriotism and faith-- the flag over the Constitution, a two ton marble reproduction of the ten commandments over the teachings of Christ-- you also get to claim moral superiority. The id and superego are in perfect harmony, so long as the ego-- the rational, adult mind-- is permitted to abdicate.

What matters to the Cult Conservative seems not to be any kind of political philosophy of limited government and fiscal responsibility; his party abandoned that a long time ago. What matters is the self-image of a "winner". Nothing is permitted to interfere with that-- not the news from Iraq, not the Florida election laws, and certainly not reality. The Cult Conservative will follow his leaders into the mouth of madness and be completely outraged at anyone who dares to question their absurdities, so long as their leaders continue to win. When they are winning, no absurdity is too obvious for the most committed and passionate defense.

What we are seeing now, however, is that when his leaders lose, the dynamic appears to be reversed. The Cult Conservative will sever himself psychologically in an instant, in order to maintain that winning self-image at all costs... in other words, to protect his belief in himself.

After Tuesday's debacle, the Cult Conservative will tell you that he's feeling "content", "relieved", even "liberated". His leaders have let us down, but the viciousness of his previous rhetoric notwithstanding, he was never emotionally invested in the outcome. I'm still a winner! is what he's telling himself.

It's kind of sad, really. Let's hope the Democrats can enact universal mental health coverage, and get these perpetual adolescents some much-needed help.