PTCruiser

Not the Last Post

2007-08-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

I always thought I'd go out with a bang instead of a whimper but, well what can you do? You put up your last post with the words you have, not the words you want.

My interest in blogging has waned severely as of late. Other aspects of my life have taken priority and, alas, my blog has taken a backseat to it all. I thought I would make it to the two-year mark, and came pretty close, but, I don't want to drag it out like that.

I think the thing that really helped me decide it was time to hang it up was the loss of one of my most loyal readers, Peacechick Mary. She recently stopped blogging for what I understand were reasons similar to my own. One thing I knew I could always count on was a thoughtful comment by Mary on almost all of my posts, even the crappy ones. There were plenty of those, but Mary kept coming back for more. I'll miss you, Mary.

I was happy to see that two of my fellow bloggers, Kvatch and John Good paid tribute to her and that John, being the ever-thoughtful guy that he is, even took the time to claim Mary's blog address in the event that she might want to get back to blogging in the future. Nice work, John.

The greatest experience of blogging has been my ability to connect to a community of people who, while not always agreeing with everything I had to say, were always there to read what I had to say. That has meant a great deal to me and I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to click on the PTCruiser link on a regular basis to check in on me and see what was going on in my mind on any given day.

I'm not going to shut down the blog because there are links on the right to some really great people's blogs. Go ahead and click on them. They're fantastic sources of information, opinion, and even a good laugh every now and then. Another reason is the remote possibility that I may decide to pick up where I left off and start writing again.

In closing, there are a few people in particular who I need to thank.

I'd like to thank my father for reading and offering fatherly advice on this blog. Much appreciation to my Uncle Dennis for e-mailing me all of the great political material which ended up being some of my best posts.

Thank you to Celticfire, my comrade who has led me down the path of discovery that is Maoism/Leninism/Marxism. (I'm still learning)

Scarlet, you're not getting my cardboard. While I may be giving up on blogging, there is no way in hell that I'm going to stop freewayblogging. I want to thank you for teaching me a craft that I will continue to use for the rest of my days. No matter who is in office, or what may be going on in this world, I will always have the ability and know-how to exercise my right to free speech in the most effective and efficient way possible. You can't put a price on that kind of experience. I'm looking forward to our next great adventure. And for those of you who tune in here to see my latest freewayblogging adventures, you'll still be able to see them by clicking on Scarlet's name at the top of the paragraph.

Last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to Spocko, of Spocko's Brain. You were the initial spark that got me thinking I could pull off something like writing my own blog. I've enjoyed every moment of it, and I have you to thank for that. It's been quite an adventure, kicking sand in the face of the beast that is the local Hate-Talk radio station. Here's to our future collaborations.

Thank you everyone. I'll be back to check on you, so make sure you all behave. Don't make me pull this blog over to the side of the road and smack you.

And remember...

Isn't that right, Jesus?

"You da man, PT!"

Green Day - Working Class Hero

You know I couldn't leave you without posting a video. This one is really good.

Weekend Music Video

2007-08-25T08:37:00.000-07:00

SWEET DREAMS - Marilyn Manson

Pig rodeo riding! Woohoo!

Dick Cheney Was Right!

2007-08-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Dark Lord Cheney Predicts the Future...

Big hat-tip to my Uncle Dennis for this gem.

Now do your part to help Dick Cheney end this quagmire by clicking here.

Weekend Music Video

2007-08-18T07:14:00.000-07:00

Rage Against The Machine - Freedom

Election 2008/2012

2007-08-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

I know most of you have been eagerly waiting to find out who PTCruiser will be voting for in the upcoming presidential elections. For some of you, my choice will be very influential on who you vote for. I fully understand the gravity of that responsibility and I promise I won't steer you wrong.

I'll be writing in my own name for the 2008 election, and I encourage all of my readers to do the same. Not that I want you to write my name in. Far from it. I want you to go to the polls and write your own name in. Yep, that's what I want you to do. I'm confident that any one of my readers (being the most intelligent people on the internets) would do a far better job of running this country than any of the filthy, greedy bastards that the Republicrat / Demopublican Party has to offer.

If you're the shy type, or feel that you may not be up to the demanding schedule that being POTUS requires, then feel free to write in the name PTCruiser. I'm confident that the CEO of Chrysler will appreciate it.

Having great foresight, I am ready to throw my support towards a candidate in the 2012 presidential election. From here on out, I'll be supporting Evil Spock for President in 2012. I figure after four years of whatever mess the one-party system throws at us in this election, we'll be ready for a new party.

Plus, I've offered my services as Secretary of Defense, to which he replied that I would need to be able to lead a robot army. Being a mechanic, I should have no problem leading and maintaining an army of robots. What could possibly go wrong?

Please remember to wash you hands after voting.

Weekend Music Video

2007-08-10T20:05:00.001-07:00

Smashing Pumpkins - Tarantula

I miss seeing him surrounded by the original band members, but I'm willing to overlook that because it still sounds good and I don't want it to end.

Back From Reno - A Proud Moment

2007-08-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

Whew! It was quite a weekend. My throat is still a little hoarse from all of the yelling. Our dancers were amazing. All of them really put everything they had into their performances, and it showed. We had two dancers place in the final round and one of them was MY DAUGHTER! She took third place in her category, Tamahine ages 5 to 8, and I couldn't possibly be more proud of her.

So, at Peacechick Mary's request, I went to YouTube to see if I could find any kind of videos from this weekend's competition, and lo and behold, the one video posted so far is one with my daughter in it. And here she is....

Heiva I Reno 2007

Note: Turn your volume down, the yelling and screaming is pretty intense (and yes, I'm one of them). Also tilt your head to the left for about half of the video because it was shot with the camera turned sideways.

Take Some Time Off

2007-08-02T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm headed up to Reno, Nevada today for a weekend of Tahitian Dance Competition. My youngest daughter will be competing, and while I won't be drumming for her (rules state that only house drummers will be playing this year), I'll definitely be cheering so loud for her that I won't have a voice by the time we come home on Sunday. And not just for her, but for all of my "daughters" (about 30 total) from our halau who will be competing this weekend. They've all worked very hard for this and I wish them all the best.

If you're in Reno this weekend, you can find me at the Blackjack tables on Saturday night. If I'm not there, I'll be at the Karaoke Bar singing Danny Boy.

Les Grands Ballets de Tahiti "Tabu" #4 Solos

Turn the volume up; the sound is kind of low on this one.

Relax

2007-08-01T15:33:00.000-07:00

While sitting in the shop truck the other day at the Embarcadero, I spotted this cargo ship pulling into the port of Oakland and thought it would make for a nice picture.

I think I was right. It was a beautiful day.

I love this job.

Intermission

2007-07-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

An apology to my loyal readers for the lack of posts on the blog lately. I've been pretty busy with other interests that demand my attention; things like working on the house, working on myself, planning a trip to Cuba, etc., etc.. I'll be getting back at it as soon as I can. It'll be very light posting for a while, though. Stuff like this....

More Cowbell!

Weekend Music Video

2007-07-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

Butthole Surfers - Pepper

Look for cameo appearance by Erik Estrada.

Where in the World am I?

2007-07-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed this map on the sidebar to the right. It's called a ClustrMap and it displays the parts of the globe where PTCruiser is being perused. Being the narcissist I am, I love checking this thing out. I'm fascinated with the idea that people from all over the world are looking at this blog. (Even if they were lured here under the false pretense that they were going to look at a site about the Chrysler Pie Wagon)

It hasn't escaped my attention that I'm wildly popular in the United States, nor does it surprise me. The U.S. is my target audience. What does surprise me is how popular this blog is in Malaysia and the East Coast of Australia. Who would've guessed? At any rate, to all of my Aussie readers, "G'day, mates". And to my Malaysian friends, "Selamat Datang".

I've also taken note of my rise in poularity in parts of Europe, particularly in Ireland, England, France, and Germany (not necessarily in that order). OK, Ireland is #1 in any list I compile. What can I tell ya? It's a great place full of wonderful people.

I'm also read in parts of South America. I'm happy to see that Venezuela looks in on me from time to time. (I like to think it's Hugo Chavez himself, checking up on my progress)

I'm also happy to see that I'm getting hits from the Middle East, including Iran and Saudi Arabia. I was a bit surprised that NOT ONE PERSON in Iraq reads this blog. Maybe the current regime doesn't approve of sites like this. I wonder if the old regime would have.

While I'm at it, let me give a shout out to India and Canada, two very large countries where people religiously log in to check out PTCruiser. "Heyyy".

Now here's where things get wierd. Take a good look at the continents of Asia and Africa. Go ahead, look again. Notice anything missing there? No red dots. So you're saying to yourself, "WTF?", which is the exact same thing I'm saying. See how we're in tune with each other?
That's the part I love about blogging, the connection with the audience. Which is why I'm so upset about this Asia/Africa thing. How can I share my love of connectivity with the whole world WHEN THE WHOLE WORLD ISN'T LOOKING AT MY BLOG???

Maybe it's a simple case of lack of access to this wonderful page on the internet, or maybe I'm just not that hot in those parts ot the world.

Naah, it's gotta be the first part.

UPDATE: My "eldest daughter" has dutifully reminded me that I completely overlooked a very important island nation....the Philippines! To all of my readers in P.I., (all three islands as my "daughter" points out) "Mabuhay!"

And while we're covering island nations, let us not forget Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand , Guam(U.S. Territory), and last, but certainly not least, Sri Lanka. And in the Carribean we have visitors from the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands.

A huge thank you to everyone around the globe who takes the time to look at my meager blog. I sincerely appreciate it.

Michael Moore Pimp-Slaps CNN

2007-07-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 14th, 2007
An Open Letter to CNN from Michael Moore

Dear CNN,

Well, the week is over -- and still no apology, no retraction, no correction of your glaring mistakes.

I bet you thought my dust-up with Wolf Blitzer was just a cool ratings coup, that you really wouldn't have to correct the false statements you made about "Sicko." I bet you thought I was just going to go quietly away.

Think again. I'm about to become your worst nightmare. 'Cause I ain't ever going away. Not until you set the record straight, and apologize to your viewers. "The Most Trusted Name in News?" I think it's safe to say you can retire that slogan.

This all ties in with the hack job CNN did on their report about Moore's latest film, SICKO, a documentary on the lousy health care industry in this country. Here's a clip of Moore going off on Wolf Blitzer...

Michael Moore v. Wolf Blitzer (7/9/07)

Without doubt, the best part of the letter is the postscript...

P.S. If you also want to apologize for not doing your job at the start of the Iraq War, I'm sure most Americans would be very happy to accept your apology. You and the other networks were willing partners with Bush, flying flags all over the TV screens and never asking the hard questions that you should have asked. You might have prevented a war. You might have saved the lives of those 3,610 soldiers who are no longer with us. Instead, you blew air kisses at a commander in chief who clearly was making it all up. Millions of us knew that -- why didn't you? I think you did. And, in my opinion, that makes you responsible for this war. Instead of doing the job the founding fathers wanted you to do -- keeping those in power honest (that's why they made it the FIRST amendment) -- you and much of the media went on the attack against the few public figures like myself who dared to question the nightmare we were about to enter. You've never thanked me or the Dixie Chicks or Al Gore for doing your job for you. That's OK. Just tell the truth from this point on.

You can read the letter in its entirety here.

Weekend Music Video

2007-07-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend we have "The Man in Black" in the last video he ever made performing a song written by Trent Reznor. Enjoy...

Johnny Cash - Hurt

Below is the video for the same song, performed by Reznor and Nine Inch Nails...

Nine Inch Nails - Hurt

I found an article in Rolling Stone which discusses this collaboration. It's an interview with Trent Reznor on Johnny Cash performing his song:

In Other Words: Trent Reznor
Industrial heavyweight delivers a eulogy for a country legend
ANTHONY DECURTIS Posted Jun 07, 2005 12:00 AM

When Johnny Cash first told me he was recording the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt," I was immediately struck by how brilliant that was. "When I heard that song, I thought, 'That sounds like something I could've written in the Sixties,'" Cash said about the original version. "There's more heart and soul and pain in that song than any that's come along in a long time. I love it." Cash then took Trent Reznor's tortured rendering of the agony of addiction and transformed it into a stunning meditation on mortality itself.

Then came Mark Romanek's video. Cash, withered by his illness, bravely allowed himself to be shown exactly as he looked, juxtaposed with images of him as a young man that bristle with virility and life. It is a stunning statement of his artistic integrity and his commitment to the truth.

When I wrote Cash's obituary for Rolling Stone, I wanted to speak with Reznor about Cash's interpretation of the song and Romanek's video. Even though the video had attracted a huge amount of attention -- earning seven nominations at MTV's Video Music Awards and winning one -- Reznor had not publicly spoken about it. I knew that he would have something powerful to say, and he did.

In In Other Words, a longer version of this interview appears in a section called "Cash Family Values," that also includes interviews with Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Rosanne Cash, Bono and Tom Petty.

Click here for the interview. I found it to be very interesting.

BUSH LIED

2007-07-12T16:18:00.001-07:00

Click pictures to enlarge.

Pacifica

Daly City

San Francisco

San Francisco

San Francisco

Half Moon Bay

San Mateo

OK. You've seen enough truth. Here are some lies...

A Symphony of Lies

More lies can be found here.

Who Indeed?

2007-07-12T11:25:00.001-07:00

I've already made a print on transparency film and I will be posting one of these signs myself. Click here for more and how you can have one of these for your very own.

Pork Chop Head

2007-07-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hungry Lizard Game

This video inspired by Evil Spock.

We Have a Winner !

2007-07-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Wow! While I'm surprised at the huge response, I'm not at all surprised at the many excellent entries. And some of you with MULTIPLE entries. My hat's off to all of you.

After much hand-wringing and after leaving the lot of you hanging on the edges of your seats all weekend, the judges are happy to tell me that they have selected a winner.....

(Drum roll)

And the winner is...

SNAVE with "We're a country, not a church"

Congratulations, Snave. Take a bow.

But wait, ladies and gentlemen,there's more...

As I predicted, there were far too many entries to limit the sign painting to just one. That's right, folks. In upcoming posts of PTCruiser, you'll also be seeing these fine slogans on bay area freeways...

mdhatter with "This is why you need to vote"

u.s.s.r. funk with "Putin '08"

D.K. Raed with "War Dead = Lives per Gallon"

Dada with "Global Warring...it's real"

Fuzz with "ALL HAT, NO PRESIDENT"

Lew Scannon with "Impeach Bush & Cheney, because lynchings are illegal"

A big thank you to everyone for participating. I hope all of you had as much fun with it as I did.

Looks like I better get to work on making signs. Someone has something BIG planned.

Interactive Freewayblogging v 1.0

2007-07-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

Just look at all that freshly-painted white cardboard, waiting to have messages plastered all over it. You know, I seem to get most of my inspiration for signs while I'm paining the cardboard just prior to printing messages. I look at all of those blank canvases and start thinking about what I'm going to put on them.

Today, while I was prepping these pieces, I had an epiphany. Sort of. (This is the part where you, dear reader, come in)

I'm leaving several of these magnificent paper products of truth and justice blank so that you, yes you, can leave your mark on the world. Let me know what you would like to see written on this cardboard and displayed on San Francisco area freeways for hundreds of thousands to read.

Some key tips to getting your message selected for public display are:

Keep it short. (I can only fit so many words on these things)
Humor is highly encouraged.
Outrage at your current government representatives is even more highly encouraged.

Now I'm going to try and limit it to one winner, but in the likely event of receiving multiple winning entries, I may bend the rules to include more than one. After all, everyone knows that PTCruiser fans are, by far, the most witty and intelligent people on the internets.

OK. Let's put our thinking caps on, people. You can leave your entries in the comments section, or, if you're one of those shy types, drop me an e-mail with your entry and I will guarantee your anonymity up to the limit of the government reading your e-mail. (I can't do anything about that, but I'm working on it)

Let's remember that this is a friendly contest intended for fun, merriment, and of course, sedition. And, as with any freewayblogging contest, no wagering.

Independence Day, 2007

2007-07-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Olbermann: Bush, Cheney should resign

Keith Olbermann speaks for me.

UPDATE: Best July 4th post I have read all day here. (And I've read a lot of them today)

Comedy Break

2007-07-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

A Dog Named "Hoppy"

Big thanks go out to Spocko who sent me this video in an e-mail a while back.

Take Action!

2007-07-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

OK, people. I've finally discovered a website that has a multitude of positive actions any of us can do to stop the Bush War Machine in its tracks. Click here to do your part.

Weekend Music Video

2007-06-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Nine Inch Nails - Closer

This is what music videos were made for. Much more than just the musical aspect of a song, it's the visual impact of what the artist is trying to convey that really drives home the message. Few musicians came as close to "nailing it" as Trent Reznor.

Some Signs I Put Up Today...

2007-06-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Click pictures to enlarge.

The two signs above and below this paragraph were posted in a new location I found along the western anchor of the San Mateo Bridge, a span that connects the East Bay to the San Francisco Peninsula. The average daily traffic on the San Mateo Bridge is 93,000 vehicles. Due to the clever placement of these signs between bushes and fenceline, that means my signs will be seen by several hundred thousand commuters going to and from work over the next several days.

Weekend Music Video

2007-06-23T09:02:00.001-07:00

The Cure - Lovesong

It's Official

2007-06-21T00:35:00.000-07:00

President Bush Loves Unborn Babies but Despises Humans Living Outside of the Womb *

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

Vetoing a stem cell bill for the second time, President Bush on Wednesday sought to placate those who disagree with him by signing an executive order urging scientists toward what he termed "ethically responsible" research in the field.

Bush announced no new federal dollars for stem cell research, which supporters say holds the promise of disease cures, and his order would not allow researchers to do anything they couldn't do under existing restrictions.

Announcing his veto to a roomful of supporters, Bush said, "If this legislation became law, it would compel American taxpayers for the first time in our history to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos. I made it clear to Congress and to the American people that I will not allow our nation to cross this moral line."

When asked for further comment, President Bush replied...

"I hope all of you free-breathing fleshbags can see this, because y'all make me sick to my stomach. Don't you and your fancy science people know that fetuses are more important than your stupid diseases? Yer all gonna die anyway! SCREW YOU!!"

The President's closest advisor, meanwhile, was very pleased....

"Your numbers with The Big Guy are up, up, WAYYYY UP !!! At this rate, you should have enough points to burn in ... er, um, go to heaven before the end of your term. LOL."

*My title, not Deb's.

Saving Saddam

2007-06-19T18:05:00.000-07:00

A Freewayblogging Tale

Some names have been changed to protect both the innocent and the not-so-innocent.

As any regular visitor to this blog will tell you, I love hanging signs at Hospital Curve in San Francisco. This stretch of Interstate 101 is positively packed with cars not only during the evening commute, but at most of the time throughout the day.

In a recent post on this blog, I decided to hang a sign at the Hospital Curve overpass which displayed both the current U.S. military casualty count and a picture of Saddam Hussein asking the public a question...

The death toll sign was taken down sometime shortly after it was put up. Maybe at the end of the day or a few hours after being hung there. The Saddam sign, however, stayed up for two days.

On the third day, I figured I might as well go out there and post another sign and maybe recover Saddam's picture as sometimes the signs are just left on the ground after being yanked. I told my son, Mini-Me, to get in the car so we could go rescue Saddam. He looked at me quizzically, and I said, "Just get in the car".

As we headed North on the 101 towards the city and rounded the curve, there he was; Saddam Hussein looking down at me and asking that unanswered question, "Happy?". What started as a hunch, turned into a rescue mission and I looked at Mini-Me in that way only a father can look at his son and said, "We can still save Saddam". That's when the lightbulb went on over his head.

I whipped the car off the freeway at the next exit and made haste for the pedestrian bridge.When we reached the span, there was the death toll sign, laying on the ground in tattered shreds below Saddam's visage. I instructed Mini-Me to quickly pick up the remnants of the torn sign while I removed Saddam from his post on The Bridge of Truth.

When i got home, I tried to put the casualty sign back together but, alas, the "guy who takes down the signs" had left all but one crucial one foot by six inch piece of the sign behind. That clever bastard. "I'm not defeated yet, you son-of-a-bitch!", my mind screamed out.

Realizing that every cloud has a silver lining, I glanced over at Saddam and said, "I've got plenty of cardboard. I'll make another sign for you."

One Way to Have a Great Father's Day

2007-06-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

1. Get up in the morning and head to the beach with your drum crew (son included).

2. When you get home, fire up the grill and cook up some T-Bone steaks for the family.

3. Bask in the knowledge that being a father is, without doubt, the most rewarding and gratifying part of your life.

Weekend Music Video

2007-06-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

No Doubt - Sunday Morning

Comedy Break

2007-06-15T16:52:00.000-07:00

I think it's time for a little comic relief. I was inspired by fellow blogger Graeme Anfinson at Left in East Dakota. If you haven't checked out Graeme's blog, please do. It's worth the click.

Kids in the Hall - Business Suit Trappers

Proof that Canadians have a better sense of humor than anyone on the planet.

My Trip To See Michael Moore

2007-06-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made a journey to the state capitol in Sacramento to see Michael Moore who is promoting his latest documentary, SiCKO, due out on June 29.

Michael was also at the capitol to help the nurses' unions push for SB840 an HR676 to provide health care for all in the State of California.

I was able to get close enough to get a few good shots of him as he came out of the capitol building and then spoke to the crowd.

While it was pretty cool getting a chance to see my favorite filmmaker, it was the journey itself that was totally kickass and the most memorable part of the day.

I took a train to Berkeley where the originator of the modern free-speech movement, Scarlet, picked me up. Did we do any freewayblogging on our way to and from Sacramento?

(Is the pope catholic?)

Here's Scarlet, demonstrating how incredibly easy it is to put up a freewayblog. I was snapping photos as fast as I could because the whole process literally takes seconds.

During the drive we had plenty of time to talk about our craft. We both still can't figure out why people aren't doing this, and we still don't quite have it pinpointed but i told him that I'm convinced he's never going to get freewayblogging done as a large-scale movement across the country. In my opinion, people are just too damn lazy to do it.

If you were to ask me who won American Idol or where the next Survivor show is going to be held, I honestly couldn't tell you. I don't watch enough television to give you that information. I'm too busy letting every person who drives a car in the San Francisco area know what I feel about the government. I'm having too much damn fun to be bothered with things like television.

Bottom line, when the whole country turns into a complete judeo/christian theocracy (are we there yet?) and people start asking why nobody did anything to stop it, I can say that I did do something. I really don't care if everyone across the country is doing this or not. Just as long as I know that I'm doing it, and I'm showing my children that they can do it, I can sleep better at night.

I think it's safe to say that anyone and everyone travelling east and west on the Highway 80 corridor between Berkeley and Sacramento yesterday knew that there was at least one guy hanging signs on the freeway (possibly two).

Warning: American Stupidity is Highly Contagious

2007-06-11T23:23:00.000-07:00

Bush Is Greeted Warmly in Albania

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG, New York Times

TIRANA, Albania, June 10 — His poll numbers may be in the tank at home, but when he zipped through this tiny, relentlessly pro-American nation today, President Bush was received like a rock star.

Military cannons boomed a 21-gun-salute in his honor. Thousands jammed Scanderbeg Square in downtown Tirana, wearing Uncle Sam top hats in the sweltering sun, hoping to glimpse the presidential motorcade. The superlatives flowed so freely that Mr. Bush looked a tad sheepish when Prime Minister Sali Berisha proclaimed him “the greatest and most distinguished guest we have ever had in all times.”

Full story here.

No need to worry, readers. I've already notified the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There still may be time to save this little country from turning into the world-destroying monster that my own nation has become. Although, judging from this photo, I may be too late....

Weekend Music Video

2007-06-10T18:07:00.000-07:00

I know you've all been sitting there with anticipation wondering what video PTCruiser is going to post this week. Well, I apologize for the delay. I was busy rescuing Saddam (more on this in an upcoming post).

Without further ado, here is your weekend music video....

Marilyn Manson-The Beautiful People

My wife says she can't watch the video because the singer is creeping her out too much. I can't imagine why.

Saddam Wants To Ask You Something

2007-06-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

U.S. death toll in Iraq passes 3,500 By KIM GAMEL, Associated Press Writer

The four-year U.S. military death toll in Iraq passed 3,500 after a soldier was reported killed in a roadside bombing in Baghdad. A British soldier was also shot to death Thursday in southern Iraq, as Western forces find themselves increasingly vulnerable under a new strategy to take the fight to the enemy.

In a rare televised interview, al-Sadr blamed the United States for Iraq's woes, often referring to it as "the occupier" and accusing it of being behind the sectarian violence, the growing schism between Iraq's majority Shiites and once-dominant Sunni Arabs and economic hardships."We are now facing a brutal Western assault against Islam," he said, draped in his traditional black robe and turban. "This agenda must be countered with a cultural resistance," he said.

Full story here.

And so, Saddam has just one thing to ask all of you self-proclaimed "patriotic Americans" who are determined to maintain a military force in Iraq...

Click picture to enlarge.

I added a few more of my signs across the city to help drive home the point....

How Rich, White People Get Treated When They Go To Prison

2007-06-07T20:36:00.001-07:00

They get released.

Book Burning in Little Havana

2007-06-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Fla. school board asks to pull Cuba book
By ADRIAN SAINZ, Associated Press Writer

Civil-liberties lawyers Wednesday defended a book about Cuba that omits references to Fidel Castro's communist government, as a judge asked them to compare the work to a hypothetical book about Adolf Hitler that didn't mention the Holocaust.

The discussion came as the Miami-Dade County School District asked the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for permission to remove 49 copies of "Vamos a Cuba" and its English-language version, "A Visit to Cuba," from its libraries. The board argues that the books, for children ages 5 to 8, present an inaccurate view of life in Cuba.

Senior Judge Donald Walter asked American Civil Liberties Union attorney JoNel Newman if a school board would be allowed to remove a Hitler book omitting the Holocaust from library shelves.

Newman said "Vamos a Cuba" is a geography book about daily life on the island, not about Castro himself.

"The political reality in Cuba is not what the book is about," Newman said. "The school board can't remove it because it wishes to inject a political message into it."

Circuit Judge Ed Carnes noted that "there's a difference in enormity" between the Holocaust and actions by Castro's government, but that Walter's hypothetical addressed the "omission of facts."

Carnes presented his own hypothetical, asking Newman if a book about North Korea could be pulled from shelves because it failed to mention problems in that communist government.

Newman countered by saying such political discussions shouldn't be required for books for elementary school students, arguing whether a book about the Great Wall of China must mention Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong.

Full story here.

It's a geography book for little grade-school-age children, for crying out loud.

I don't expect the public schools that my children attend to teach them about the atrocities committed in the name of Capitalism; I'm perfectly capable of teaching it to them myself. So if you want your child to know what you think of Fidel and the history of Cuba, then by all means teach it to your children, not everyone else's.

Of course, these are the same sick vultures who were dancing in the streets when they heard about Castro lying on what was, at the time, thought to be his death-bed....

These people can't wait for that man to die.

Support Our Troops - Chapter 4

2007-06-05T00:09:00.000-07:00

I'm dragging this thread out of the basement because this news item is just irritating the hell out of me. Being a military veteran myself, I just can't believe that this patriotic soldier is being treated this way by the country he so proudly served.

What kind of nation are we becoming when a man with an obvious amount of pride is punished for exercising his right to free speech? FREE SPEECH !!!!

Honestly, it makes me want to cry when I think that I wasted four years serving a country that treats patriots as if they were scum. What the hell was I thinking?

You know, I was actually proud to be a member of the United States Air Force. There was a time, when I was in uniform, that I used to actually get a lump in my throat when they played the Star Spangled Banner. Nowadays, when I hear that song, I just get a sick feeling in my stomach, thinking about all of the death and destruction, shock and awe, and fire and brimstone we as a nation have brought down upon this world.

Want to know what kind of work I did in the Air Force? Check it out here. The pictures of the guys in the hardhats are pictures of what I did. I was a Missile Maintenance Technician in the Strategic Air Command at this base. We test-launched nuclear missiles. Missiles designed to destroy milions of people.

Rotting Teeth in America

2007-06-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

Not satisfied with their attempt at destroying our precious pet population, the Chinese government has launched an all-out assault on dental hygiene in the USA. Why do they hate us so much? The real problem appears to be their jealousy of our God-given freedom to choose our brand of dentifrice.

US checks toothpaste for toxins

- BBC

Health officials in the United States say they are checking all shipments of toothpaste imported from China for contamination with toxic chemicals.

Full terrifying story here.

In the meantime, the Department of Homeland Security is recommending that patriotic families across the nation use duct tape as a preventive measure to put a stop to toothpaste poisoning. Pictured below is an example for the rest of us to follow...

Weekend Music Video

2007-06-02T20:16:00.000-07:00

A nightmarish video about the horrors of war. The movie scenes in the video are from the film, "Johnny Got His Gun", released in 1971.

Metallica - One

More Improvements

2007-06-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

I purchased a laptop computer recently. Hopefully this will allow me to post more frequently thanks to its portability. Looks like we need a video in here before the weekend is over.

A Pause for Reflection and a Moment of Gratitude

2007-05-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

This may come as a bit of a shock to all ten of my readers, but I haven't been posting very much lately. I've been thinking of changing the look of this blog and that leads me to the gratitude part of the title of this post.

There's a little green frog named Kvatch who runs a magnificent blog called Blognonymous. One day Kvatch noticed that there were some inconsistencies with the layout of my blog; namely, that when you clicked on an individual post, the comment section looked like a train wreck. This was due to an error on my part while trying to install a site meter.

To make a long story short, my web-footed friend graciously offered to make the necessary repairs to my mistreated blog and I happily accepted. Being very happy with the results, I started thinking of ways I could change the look of the blog to more closely represent my current political leanings toward revolutionary communism.

As you can see, my exhaustive efforts have led to what you see here....a concrete wall. I still haven't decided if i like it, so if it doesn't appeal to your eye, please don't hesitate to let me know. I'm not too savvy with this kind of thing, and I don't want to create another disaster that I may have to ask my friend Kvatch to fix, so it's been pretty slow going.

I plan on changing the banner across the top. The title and subtitle will be the same although I'd like to change the font, colors, add some images, etc.

For those of you who don't know, I started this blog not as a tribute to that sad-looking Chrysler answer to the AMC Pacer, but for documenting my adventures while travelling on Public Transportation. I thought PTCruiser with the PT short for Public Transportation would be a great title. Not my most creative moment, but I do get a lot of hits on this blog from car enthusiasts. Of course, once they realize what this site is about, they quickly click back to where they came from.

After only one post about riding public transportation, it dawned on me that if it was boring me to tears, it might end up killing someone else. I then started shifting towards a more political angle in my posts and eventually ended up where we are today, with a guy who's not happy at all with his government and trying to learn as much as he can about how to make a change.

It seems wrong to think about changing the name of the blog at this point. Not that I'm some famous blogger who's making money off of his blog or anything, but I guess the name has kind of grown on me. It's so much a part of me now that even when I talk to Scarlet on the phone about our latest freewayblogging adventure, he'll pick up the phone and say, "Hey, PT!". It's kind of become a sort of alter-ego.

Not that I hide my political feelings. I love talking politics to people, especially at work. I'm not always met with open arms or minds when it comes to my political views. In this me, me, me society my political stance is more often than not given a look of bewilderment and then an attempt at a change of subject. So I do my best to keep the conversation going and trying to get that other person or people to take a moment and think about what I'm trying to get across. It's hit or miss. I devour books the way an alchoholic devours cheap vodka in order to expand my understanding of politics and their effect on society. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

I don't think I've ever written this much in one post (or several posts for that matter) since I've started this blog. Hope I haven't bored you. I just felt like letting all of you in on some of my personal feelings.

Take care, and thank you for taking the time to read my blog. It really means a lot to me.

Weekend Music Video

2007-05-26T12:15:00.001-07:00

Garbage - Push It

Free Aung San Suu Kyi !

2007-05-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Myanmar extends Suu Kyi detention
- Al Jazeera

Myanmar's military regime has extended the detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, police sources have said."We issued an order of further detention," the sources said on Friday.The latest period of her detention began in May 2003 and was due to expire this weekend.

On Wednesday, Laura Bush, the US first lady, and female US senators added their voice to international demands that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate be freed.

That call was echoed by the US state department, which also condemned the detention of other Myanmar activists, saying it showed the military government had "renewed its assault on human rights".

"The situation in Burma is not just about one woman. It's also about the treatment of a people who live under the fist of repression."
-U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

Full story here.

Being married to a Burmese woman and having visited the beautiful country of Burma, I have very strong feelings about what takes place over there. If ever there was a government that needed to be overthrown, this is it. The people of Burma have put up with this fascist crap for far too long.

If you want to do something to help the people of Burma, you can start by clicking here.

Myanmar timeline:

1988: Military crackdown on pro-democracy protests, est. 3,000 killed

1989: Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to house arrest for allegedly endangering the state

1990: NLD wins landslide in national election, military refuses to recognise result

1991: Suu Kyi awarded Nobel Peace Prize

1995: Suu Kyi freed, but movements restricted

1997: Myanmar admitted to ASEAN

2000: Suu Kyi sentenced to house arrest for defying travel restrictions

2002: Suu Kyi released following UN-facilitated secret talks with govt

2003: Govt unveils "road map" to democracy; Suu Kyi returned to house arrest after her convoy is attacked in north of country

2005: Govt announces shift to new capital Naypidaw

2007: Nearly 3,000 prisoners released in amnesty to mark independence anniversary, no key political figures freed

Weekend Music Video

2007-05-19T01:23:00.000-07:00

You know, the '90's were a great time for music. I never tired of listening to this song back then. In fact, I still enjoy it to this day.

The only thing greater than the music of the nineties was the fact that, back then, nobody outside of the state of Texas really knew who George W. Bush was or what a madman and threat to the world he would eventually become.

Spacehog - Mungo City

Portrait of a Black Panther

2007-05-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

I'm currently studying the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, which I found has a new chapter, and came across this video. I thought I'd share it with all of you.

Brief biography on Huey P. Newton, Minister of Defense

Jerry Falwell 1933 - 2007

2007-05-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Larry Flynt

(Click photo to enlarge)

Will They Fly a Plane into Our House?

2007-05-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

This is an actual book that you can purchase to help reinforce your own fears and scare the bejesus out of your kids while you're at it.

One customer at Amazon.com gave this helpful tome a glowing review:

OH NOES!!!!!!!!111, April 21, 2006
Reviewer:
bungholes "bungholio" (with carmen sandiago) - See all my reviews

"My kids kept asking me redundant questions about if terrorits are going to attack us, to which I comfortingly tell them "Of course they will. And not only will they capture you alive, but they will boil you alive and eat you as well. If you ever see a plane, run. Just run." Its pretty fun to see them scream and run away under their beds after telling them this. This is indeed, a fine piece of literature."

By far, one of the most helpful parts of this book is the section,"Answers to Parents' Questions".

They even have an answer for that worried parent whose biggest concern is that their child may not be showing the same level of patriotic fear and paranoia that the rest of the family is displaying...

Q: My 8-year-old child doesn’t seem to be affected at all by the terrorist attack even though it is constantly on television and everyone in the family is talking about it. Is this a problem?

A: There are different reasons why a child may not want deal with his feelings. You should not force your child to talk about his feelings, but you should make it clear that you have feelings about what has happened and you are available to talk when he is ready. Reading the questions and answers in Part II of this book and doing the activities in Part III may help.

I think the question would have been better phrased in this manner...

Q: Should I contact the Department of Homeland Security and make them aware of the glaring fact that my child is harboring sympathy for the terrorists and doesn't care that they are trying to destroy our way of life? Huh? Should I?

We can all thank our lucky stars that we have good, patriotic men like Dr. Shapiro in this country doing their part to ensure that our next generation maintains the high level of panic this nation has come to stand for.

Weekend Music Video

2007-05-12T10:07:00.000-07:00

Wolfmother - Joker & The Thief

Impeach the Liars

2007-05-08T12:34:00.000-07:00

Two for Tuesday

(Click pictures to enlarge)
The best part of all is that one of these signs is not mine...

I spotted this "Impeach the Liars" sign as I was travelling South on Highway 101 in the San Mateo area today. I was so ecstatic about seeing another freewayblogger's sign on one of my overpasses that I headed back home, grabbed the camera and headed back to take a picture of it and post one of my own signs pointing toward the North-bound traffic on the same overpass.

I don't know who put this sign up, but, if you're reading this, please don't stop! What you've done here is nothing short of outstanding. And it was fun as hell too, wasn't it?

Weekend Music Video

2007-05-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

Rush - YYZ

More proof that Canadians are great at everything they do.

Finally...A Day Off

2007-05-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

I've been busy lately, putting in a lot of hours at work, trying to learn as much about my job as possible. I decided that after working for over a month without a day off, I was long overdue for a break. I did a little freewayblogging to relax and unwind...
(Click pictures to enlarge.)

You know, some days I set out to put signs up on the freeway and I think to myself, "Why bother? You're just beating your head against a brick wall. The signs are going to get taken down and nobody's gonna give a crap about them."

It's on those days that I remember Scarlet saying something in this post; something that really struck a chord in me...

I am the most widely read political commentator in San Francisco that hasn't been bought and paid for and that makes me "The Voice of the People".

Quite a responsibility, wouldn't you say?

Cake - War Pigs

Hat-tip to Liberality for the video. I originally viewed it on her site.

A28

2007-04-28T22:53:00.000-07:00

In support of A28.org's Nationwide Impeachment Project, I decided, of course, that the best way to get the word out was with cardboard and paint. Here's my contribution to the effort...

Pacifica

Half Moon Bay

All the rest are San Francisco...

Earth Day

2007-04-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to recycle some cardboard in honor of Earth Day....
(Click pictures to enlarge)

Doing signs with casualty numbers is difficult not only because of the thought of how many have died needlessly, but because the number changes from day to day. I changed the numbers on the sign above twice before I took this shot. Sadly, I'm sure the number will change again before I get this sign posted on a freeway overpass.

I'm entering these signs in The Freewayblogger's Public Punditry Contest which is also posted on the Michael Moore website. Let me know which ones you like the most.

I love recycling cardboard.

Mucho thanks to my fellow freewaybloggers PsychoMikeo and Scarlet (a.k.a. dirty hippy) for the Saddam and Osama images. Without these patriots, this post wouldn't have been possible.

These signs will be going up on freeway overpasses and side-fencing this week around the San Francisco Bay Area. I'll post the pictures after I get the signs up.

Time to Give Up

2007-04-22T00:04:00.000-07:00

Border Patrol boost raises concerns
By JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press Writer

The U.S. Border Patrol's push to expand the number of agents on the lookout for illegal crossings has some current and former agents worried that the pressure will lead to corner cutting and will jeopardize public safety.

Raising the Border Patrol's numbers from about 12,000 to 18,000 by the end of 2008 is a key element of President Bush's plan to improve security along the border, crossed by tens of thousands of illegal immigrants each year.

When is this country going to realize that their failed attempts at stopping my brothers and sisters from entering this land are futile? The only constructive purpose the border patrol serves is as a rescue force for immigrants wandering around helplessly lost and abandoned by those scum-of-the-earth "coyotes" who they pay top dollar to get them across the border.

If you really despise Mexicans living in your country that much, move somewhere else, or elect Tom Tancredo as your president.

Time to open the borders and let them come in.

What? You think you own this land? Think you have some sort of special privilege because your forefathers massacred the previous owners? Piss off !

Weekend Music Video

2007-04-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

The Cult - Fire Woman

Fun at Work

2007-04-12T22:41:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy my job. I get to meet a lot of interesting people; some are far more interesting than others. Today I was partnered with a co-worker whom I've met before but never really got to know all that well. I got to know him very well today.

Let's call him "John".

I was chatting with "John" and he started telling me about his keen interest in real estate. He extolled the virtues of real estate as the best investment money could buy and went on to tell me all about the properties he owns and how these properties would help him to retire early.

"John" went on to say that I should get a loan to invest in property and I mentioned that I had discussed this with my wife before and that she was a bit nervous about making that big of an investment.

Here's how the conversation went from there...

John: "You need to tell her that her job is to be in the kitchen making you something to eat."

Me: "And that's what you say to your wife."

John: "Somebody's gotta wear the pants in the family."

Me: "And that's you."

John: "Damn right."

Me: "Well, maybe I could get her to go for that but I wouldn't want to because I would just come off sounding like a horse's ass."

(Long Silent Pause)

John: "Did you just call me a horse's ass?"

Me: "Oh, no. No, not at all. No, you see, what I meant was that if I talked like that, I would sound like a horse's ass. I'm sure it sounds perfectly normal coming from you."

(Shorter Pause)

John: "Oh, okay."

That's one more Neanderthal I don't think I'll be getting a Christmas card from.

Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007

2007-04-12T08:56:00.000-07:00

Author Kurt Vonnegut passed away yesterday as a result of injuries from a fall in his Manhattan home. More here.

A writer with a sense of humor unlike any other, Vonnegut will be missed. In fact his "Slaughterhouse-Five" is one of the very few books listed in my profile under "Favorite Books".

Kurt, when they made you, they broke the mold. So long and thanks for all you've given us.

Kurt Vonnegut quotes:

"True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."

"I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center."

Kurt Vonnegut Biography

Kicking Ass - Chicago Style

2007-04-09T22:40:00.000-07:00

Those folks in Chicago really know how to Freewayblog. Full story here.

Malcolm X

2007-04-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

"A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything."

- Malcolm X

Malcolm X Explains Black Nationalism

Weekend Music Video

2007-04-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

Anti-Flag - Die for the Government

Proudly brought to you by the Maoist International Movement.

John McCain on the Lighter Side of Baghdad

2007-04-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

"You read every day about suicide bombings, kidnappings, rocket attacks and other terrible acts. What we don't read about and what is new is a lot of the good news -- the drop in the murders in Baghdad, the establishment of security outposts throughout the city ... the deployment of additional Iraqi brigades to Baghdad."

- Senator John McCain during a recent photo-op in Baghdad

So what's up with the body armor, John?

In fact, things are going so well in Baghdad that the snipers decided to get right back to work the day after McCain and his cameras, machine guns, body armor, tanks and helicopters left the area.

The merchants at the market had some interesting things to say about the McCain press junket as well. Maybe McCain should've handed out the same rose-colored glasses he was wearing to all the folks in the market that day.

Best line by an Iraqi merchant EVER ......

"They were just making fun of us and paid this visit just for their own interests," he said. "Do they think that when they come and speak few Arabic words in a very bad manner it will make us love them? This country and its society have been destroyed because of them and I hope that they realized that during this visit."

Right on, brother.

Love Letter from Melanie Morgan

2007-04-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hey, everybody ! Look what I found in my e-mail this morning. It's a vaguely threatening letter from Melanie Morgan, local morning talk show host on Hate Talk 560 KSFO, and close personal friend of Ann Coulter. Yes, that Ann Coulter. Not that Melanie is a newcomer to threats, but still, I was surprised to find out she reads my blog. I feel somewhat flattered to think that I irritated her this much.

At any rate, here's the letter she sent me:

To : ptcruiser292@sbcglobal.net

"Those of you in the anti-war movement have helped the pro-troop organization Move America Forward to go up on the television airwaves today with a new ad that takes on those who are undermining our heroic troops and their missions.

At YouTube the patriotic Move America Forward television ad that takes the anti-war crowd (including Cindy Sheehan and Martin Sheen) to task has become a hit - earning a 4.5 star rating out of 5 stars.

WATCH THE AD - CLICK HERE

(go ahead and click it, it's actually pretty funny - PT)

You've become so despicable in your actions that America is now turning against you. You are failing.

You promised 100,000 marchers for the "March on the Pentagon" but your march was a total bust with only a few thousand protestors turning out to show solidarity with the terrorists, and speaking out against the fight for freedom.

Leading anti-war senator, Barack Obama, announced this weekend that Congress will not insist on a timetable for withdrawal and surrender in Iraq after all. You've even turned off the more moderate members of your community who have helped me to be able to get this message sent out to you.

We will no longer tolerate the anti-war crowd subjecting America to more terrorist attacks as a result of the defeat-retreat-surrender policies you advocate.

You already have blood on your hands for emboldening the terrorists to kill our troops, we won't let you endanger innocent American citizens here at home.

When you burn American soldiers in effigy you show us which side in the war on terror you stand on, and it's obviously not with America and our military men and women.

We won't back down as you try to appease the forces of Islamic terrorism. We won't allow you to dishonor our troops as you try to reignite a Vietnamized-culture in America."

Sincerely Yours,
Melanie Morgan

Chairman, Move America Forward

http://www.moveamericaforward.org/

So now I'm just waiting for love letters from Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter.

And in response to your letter, Melanie, (and I know you're reading this because you just can't get enough PTCruiser) while I'm flattered by the attention you so obviously want to fawn on me, you need to know that I'm a married man and this relationship would just never work; not only because I'm married but also because, unlike your husband, I have fully functioning male genitalia.

Freewayblogging: Big and Small

2007-04-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

When I saw the pictures of the HUGE signs in Scarlet's living room, I asked him when we would get a chance to hang them, fishing for an invite to help him hang these extra-large beacons of information. We decided today would be a great day to hang signs (what day isn't a great day?) and met at the San Francisco landmark, Coit Tower.

The first sign we hung was an image all too familiar, summing up the United States' policy on how best to treat POW's.

I took a wider shot here to show the sign next to the tower. Can you see it?

Then came time for the huge IMPEACH sign. This one took a little extra effort and I was glad I was there to help. Once we got it hung, though, it looked great....

On the way home, I decided to hang a few signs I had in the back of the car. The nice thing about travelling with signs in the car is that you can hang them whenever you feel inspired.

I also took a couple of scenic shots of the magnificent view we had while hanging these signs. What a great place to live.

Weekend Music Video

2007-03-31T12:03:00.001-07:00

Rage Against The Machine - Guerrilla Radio

Sweet Jesus!

2007-03-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

The timing couldn't have been better for a follow-up to my last post....

Holy Week Angst Over Naked Chocolate Jesus
Sculpture By Cosimo Cavallaro To Debut At Gallery In NYC

(AP)- The Easter season unveiling of a milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ, dubbed “My Sweet Lord” by its creator, left a sour taste Thursday in the mouths of a Catholic group infuriated by the anatomically correct confection.

“This is one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever,” said Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League. “It's not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing — to choose Holy Week is astounding.”

The 6-foot sculpture by artist Cosimo Cavallaro was to debut Monday evening, the day after Palm Sunday and just four days before Roman Catholics mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. The final day of the exhibit at the Lab Gallery inside midtown Manhattan's Roger Smith Hotel was planned for Easter Sunday.

“The fact that they chose Holy Week shows this is calculated, and the timing is deliberate,” said Donohue, whose group represents 350,000 Catholics nationwide.

He called for an economic boycott of the hotel, which he described as “already morally bankrupt.”
More here.

It looks sinfully delicious. All it needs to finish it off is a cross made out of peanut butter.

Update: Chocolate Jesus Show Cancelled - Deities made out of food deemed the unholiest of sins against God.

Hat-tip to D.K. Raed

Man, I'm getting a lot of mileage out of this story.

The Gospel According to PT

2007-03-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day today in the San Francisco area so I decided to get up off my lazy ass, load the car up with some signage and hit the road with my main man, J.C. as my co-pilot.

Jesus told me that he wanted to help me get the message out to some of his mis-guided followers that he most certainly does not support acts of war, even wars against non-Christian types. He wishes everyone would remember his true message of Peace.

So off we went....

Not too bad for a day's work. What do you think, Jesus?

"You da man, PT !!"

Amen to that, Jesus. Now let's all bow our heads and ask the good Lord to protect these signs from evil.....

Wha???

2007-03-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

"Any president who says, I don't care, or I will not respond to what the people of this country are saying about Iraq or anything else, or I don't care what the Congress does, I am going to proceed -- if a president really believes that, then there are -- what I was pointing out, there are ways to deal with that. He's not accountable anymore, which isn't totally true. You can impeach him, and before this is over, you might see calls for his impeachment."

- Senator Chuck Hagel, (R)-Nebraska (That's right, folks. Republican.)

“I have said it before and I will say it again: Impeachment is off the table.”

- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D)-California

Maybe it's time to put it back on the table, Nancy. If you don't want to do this job, step down and let someone else do it for you.

Vote Different

2007-03-25T09:22:00.001-07:00

1984

Full story on the guy behind the creation of this video and his connection to the Barack Obama campaign can be found here. Hat tip to Kommander Kvatch for prompting me to dig a little deeper on this one.

Back from Merced

2007-03-21T11:44:00.000-07:00

As a follow-up to my earlier post and at the request of two of my biggest fans, I thought I'd give you an update on how the competition in Merced went this past weekend.

We arrived in Merced on Thursday night and settled in to get some much-needed rest for the full day of competition that awaited us on Friday. I think I was more nervous than the dancers. The deal with these Tahitian dance competitions is that if any of your dancers advance to the final round, you are expected to provide your dancer(s) with their own drummers (limit of five drummers) for the finals.

Our dancers were outstanding on Friday as I and the rest of the drummers sat and watched in anticipation of how many girls we would be playing for on Saturday. I was beaming with pride as I watched all of our young ladies display their dancing skills. They had most assuredly been paying attention in class for all the previous months, taking what our Kumu Hula (dance teacher) had taught them and polishing it to perfection.

At the end of eliminations on Friday, our halau advanced 9 dancers to the finals on Saturday out of approximately 30 who entered from our school. The drummers had their work cut out for them on Saturday.

We went back to the house that night with the nine dancers who made it to the finals and played for them so they could put the finishing touches on their routines. All of their families came along with them and we turned it into a real party with all of the dancing, music and barbecueing that went on.

After a good night's rest, we headed off to the fairgrounds for the final round of competition. We played for all nine of the girls and even had our drum instructor jump in and play with us for the last three dancers. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next dance competition. Of the nine finalists that we fielded, two of our dancers received third place trophies at the end of the day. Not too shabby, huh?

Our Keiki (young dancers) looking beautiful and ready to dance.

Shopping for drums at the vendor booth. We buy the majority of our drums from this guy.

Two of our drummers showing the girls how they think Tahitian dancing should be done.

(That's me in the background banging on the log)

Our dancers, showing the drummers that they should probably just stick to drumming and forget about the dancing.

New Product from Apple

2007-03-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

MadTV - iRack

Hat tip to my friend, Jim Kelly for sending me this one.

Gone Drumming

2007-03-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'll be out for the rest of the week and through the weekend. We're headed to Merced, California for a Tahitian Dance competition, where my drum group will be performing in competition for the first time. I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited. My daughter will be competing in the dance competition along with about thirty other dancers from our Halau, Te Pura O Te Rahura'a. All of our dancers have worked very hard for this and I wish them the best of luck.

I found another Tahitian drumming video on Youtube. This one is a much better recording than the last one. If any good videos of our group are made over the weekend, I'll see about posting them here. Have a great weekend, everyone. Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all.

LEIISA drumming in MERCED '05

Weekend Music Video

2007-03-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

Anti-Flag - Turncoat

FREE MUNI !!!

2007-03-06T23:47:00.000-08:00

Free Muni ride? It's possible, says Newsom

Rachel Gordon, San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said today that he has asked the Municipal Transportation Agency to look into the possibility of providing fare-free public transit in the city.

He told The Chronicle that when all the costs associated with collecting the fares are factored in, the idea of letting people board for free may not be a big financial stretch.

"When you add everything up, this idea certainly deserves consideration,'' he said.
He said Municipal Transportation Agency officials are still crunching the numbers, and should have their report concluded within a month or so.

The city hopes to collect a projected $138 million in fares in the upcoming fiscal year. And while that may seem like a lot of money, it accounts for about 22 percent of the annual Municipal Railway budget -- below the average national fare-box collection rate.

Muni charges $1.50 for a regular adult fare, and $45 for a standard monthly FastPass. There are discounts for seniors, children and the disabled.

Newsom said the costs to purchase and maintain fare boxes, to count the money and to pay a crew to catch fare cheats are major expenses that could be eliminated if people could ride for free.

But allowing free boarding no doubt would increase the number of riders, which in turn could put an increased financial burden on the system. There likely would be a need to expand the fleet of buses and street cars and to hire more drivers, security officers and maintenance workers (music to my ears).

"All of these issues are being analyzed,'' he said.

Well, he's got my vote.

I like the idea of allowing the people who live and work in this beautiful city to ride public transportation for free. It really puts a smile on my face. I've been working at MUNI for a year now and truth be told, it's the best damn job I've ever had. I absolutely look forward to going to work every day.

I get the feeling that they'll still be complaining big time about the service, though.

Weekend Music Video

2007-03-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

Flattbush - Question Authority

Hat tip to my comrade, The Portland Maoist.

More Dick Than You Can Shake a Stick At

2007-03-01T23:49:00.000-08:00

Cheney warns against hasty Iraq "pullout"*

By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer

A quick withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq could allow victorious Muslim extremists to fan out into other countries, with some militants going to Afghanistan to fight alongside a resurgent Taliban, Vice President Dick Cheney says.

The vice president, just back from a trip that included unannounced stops in Afghanistan and Pakistan, addressed a conservative conference Thursday night where he sharply criticized efforts by some Democrats to restrict funds for President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq or to place restrictions on their deployment.

While noting that the House already had passed a nonbinding resolution voicing opposition to Bush's Iraq policy, Cheney said that "very soon both houses of Congress will have to vote on a piece of legislation that is binding."

The legislation would, among other things, help pay for the additional 21,500 troops Bush is sending to Iraq.

"I sincerely hope the discussion this time will be about winning in Iraq, not about posturing on Capitol Hill. Anyone can say they support the troops, and we should take them at their word. But the proof will come when it's time to provide the money and the support," Cheney said. "We expect the House and the Senate to meet those needs on time and in full."

Full story here.

There seems to be a great obsession with "winning" expressed here. I've got news for you, Mr. Cheney. We "lost" the moment you baboons decided to invade Iraq for no legitimate reason.

*Maybe if his father had "pulled out" the world wouldn't be in quite the mess it's in now.

Cheney Has a Blast in Afghanistan

2007-02-27T22:54:00.000-08:00

Bomb within earshot of Cheney kills 23

By ALISA TANG, Associated Press Writer

In what the Taliban claimed was an assassination attempt, a suicide bomber attacked the main gate of a U.S. military base Tuesday within earshot of Vice President Dick Cheney. The explosion killed 23 people, including two Americans, and delivered a propaganda blow that undercut the U.S. military and the weak Afghan government it supports.

The bomber struck about 10 a.m., and U.S. military officials declared a "red alert" at the sprawling Bagram Air Base while Cheney was rushed to a bomb shelter. Cheney, who had been stranded at the base overnight by a snowstorm, met with President Hamid Karzai in the capital before heading back to the United States via the Gulf state of Oman.

"I heard a loud boom," Cheney told reporters aboard Air Force Two en route to Oman. "The Secret Service came in and told me there had been an attack on the main gate."

I don't see what all the panic was about. Cheney made it a point to bring his lucky shotgun with him on the trip. Clearly there was no need to rush him to a bomb shelter. How terribly emasculating for this great warrior.

Harry Whittington, who was invited on the excursion to Afghanistan, declined the invitation, claiming that his "face still hurts".

I Found Bin Laden

2007-02-26T12:20:00.000-08:00

He's hosting a TV variety show filmed in an underground cave somewhere in Europe.

I Might Vote Democrat

2007-02-25T02:13:00.000-08:00

Obama ridicules Cheney's Iraq comments

By KELLEY SHANNON, Associated Press Writer

"Now if Tony Blair can understand that, then why can't George Bush and Dick Cheney understand that?" Obama asked thousands of supporters who gathered in the rain to hear him. "In fact, Dick Cheney said this is all part of the plan (and) it was a good thing that Tony Blair was withdrawing, even as the administration is preparing to put 20,000 more of our young men and women in."
"Now, keep in mind, this is the same guy that said we'd be greeted as liberators, the same guy that said that we're in the last throes. I'm sure he forecast sun today," Obama said to laughter from supporters holding campaign signs over their heads to keep dry. "When Dick Cheney says it's a good thing, you know that you've probably got some big problems."

Full story here.

This guy is the reason I might actually vote Democrat in '08. That, and the fact that he never voted for the war in Iraq.

Unlike some other candidates..

Anyone who is ready to vote for these two morons needs to seriously have their head examined. The fact that they voted for the war in Iraq when the evidence at that time indicated it was all a farce, shows a serious lack of both leadership and judgement. Is this really the type of person you want leading your country? God, I hope not.

I know that there are Democrats who read this blog and it is to you that I am appealing. Don't sell your country short. We're going to need strong leadership to bring this country back after 8 years of idiocy. Nominating Clinton or Edwards will be sending us backwards instead of forward. I know you're more intelligent than that.

Take the time to think about what these two voted for. And no, I don't give a rat's ass whether or not they apologized. Apologies at that level are like band-aids for a decapitation. The two of them failed our country just as sure as this administration has failed us. Don't vote for failure, vote for our future.

Bushism of the Week

2007-02-09T03:26:00.000-08:00

"And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it."

--George W. Bush, interview on National Public Radio, Jan. 29, 2007

SF Bay Guardian

2007-02-07T19:39:00.000-08:00

I enjoy reading the SF Bay Guardian for a number of reasons, not least of which is their hold-no-punches articles on local politics and events.

A couple of articles caught my eye as I perused the latest edition this morning while at work (on my break, of course).

The first article I read was a piece titled, "Kids get Addicted to War" by Amanda Witherell, a great news item on a new comic book that's about to be released into the San Francisco public school system for 10th to 12th-graders. It's been touted by the likes of Susan Sarandon, Noam Chomsky, Helen Caldicott, Cindy Sheehan, and Howard Zinn and covers a 230-year span of warfare by this nation of ours.

Here's an excerpt:

Many peaceniks may be familiar with the 77-page comic book that was originally conceived in 1991 to highlight the real story behind the Gulf War. With spare wit and imagery, Andreas plainly outlines how combat is the very expensive fuel that feeds the economic and political fire of the United States.

In outlining this history, Andreas doesn't gloss over the lesser-known and oft misunderstood conflicts in Haiti, the Philippines, Lebanon, and Grenada. He draws on multiple sources to portray America's purported need to overthrow foreign governments and establish convenient dictators, including Saddam Hussein, in order to fill the pockets of the most powerful people and corporations in American history. Andreas also includes the blinded eyes of the mainstream media, whose spin and shortcomings keep this business rolling.
Full story here.

The second article was even better than the last, a piece written by J.B. Powell titled, "The Search for Spocko: San Francisco blogger draws corporate and conservative wrath for educating KSFO's advertisers". What a treat it was to read about my local blog-hero Spocko of Spocko's Brain.

Snippet:

For the better part of a year starting in late 2005, San Francisco blogger Mr. Spocko waged a quiet campaign against right-wing talk radio station KSFO, 560 AM. He wrote to its sponsors and played for them explicit portions of the station's programming, such as shock jock Lee Rodgers's call for antiwar protesters to be "stomped to death ... just stomp their bleeping guts out."

The idea was to educate corporations about exactly what they were sponsoring, in the hope that Spocko's work might staunch the free flow of hateful rhetoric.

He also posted these audio clips on his blog, Spocko's Brain. Several advertisers pulled their ads as a result of his campaign. But after MasterCard decided to cancel its KSFO spots in July 2006, Spocko said hostile commenters started to arrive on his blog and declare that he was in legal jeopardy.

"They said things like 'They're going to find you and sue you for everything you've got,' " Spocko told the Guardian by telephone, the only way he will be interviewed because of fears for his personal safety if people learn his true identity.
Full story here.

I'm proud to say that I was a participant in that campaign to notify advertisers. I'd like to think we made an impact on the vitriol that spews forth on a regular basis from Hate-Talk 560 KSFO.

J.B. Powell puts forth an outstanding piece that chronicles Spocko's continuing journey through hostile Romulan territory including being cast adrift by his spineless internet hosting company, 1&1 Internet. Be sure to check it out.

And to round out my morning reading, I got a really good chuckle out of the latest "This Modern World" cartoon by Tom Tomorrow. For those of you without 20/10 vision, click on the cartoon for a larger version of it.

Weekend Music Video

2007-02-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

Anti-Flag - One Trillion Dollars

NSA Super Spy-O-Matic

2007-02-03T18:33:00.000-08:00

The National Security Agency has a brand new weapon for fighting the War on Terror, the "Super Spy-O-Matic Domestic Surveillance Portal" ©.

As a test of this intimidating machine's powers, I plugged my name into the database and here's what came out:

After defecating, PTCruiser uses little American flags as toilet paper!

Now I can't for the life of me begin to wonder how they found that out about me but it does attest to the accuracy of this new program. Looks like our tax dollars are being wisely spent.

Go ahead and click here to see what embarrassing things they know about you.

George Galloway Speech to Parliament on Iraq

2007-02-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

Awesome video of Galloway, British MP from Scotland as well as co-founder and representative of the Respect Party in England. Hat-tip to another great Scotsman, my Uncle Dennis, who sent me this video. Be sure to watch it to the end. His closing words are outstanding. And take note of the lack of a teleprompter in front of this great orator.

Freewaybloggers Beware!

2007-02-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

At the request of one of my readers, (hat-tip to mdhatter) I'm going to weigh in on this Boston panic attack on Wednesday...

2 men released from jail in hoax case
By DENISE LAVOIE and JAY LINDSAY, Associated Press Writers

In nine cities across the country, blinking electronic signs displaying a profane, boxy-looking cartoon character caused barely a stir.
But in Boston, the signs — some with protruding wires — sent a wave of panic across the city, bringing out bomb squads and prompting officials to shut down highways, bridges and part of the Charles River.

Something that may have been amusing in other cities was not funny to authorities here, the city that served as the base for the hijackers who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks. Officials defended their reaction Thursday even as two men charged in the case, and some residents, mocked the response as overblown.

Young Bostonians familiar with the unconventional marketing tactics used by many companies tended to see the city's reaction as unmitigated hysteria.

Tracy O'Connor, 34, a retail manager, called the police response "silly and insane," contrasting it with that in other cities where no one reported concerns about the devices — an advertising gimmick for the Cartoon Network show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."

"We're the laughing stock," she said.

Public safety officials and a large segment of Boston's older generation condemned the publicity campaign as unthinkable in today's post-9/11 world.

"Just a little over a mile away from the placement of the first device, a group of terrorists boarded airplanes and launched an attack on New York City," police Commissioner Edward Davis said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"The city clearly did not overreact. Had we taken any other steps, we would have been endangering the public," he said.
Full story here.

Yes, the citizens of Boston were in extreme danger from those deadly promotional ads. Luckily, the Boston police were on the scene, providing as much drama as possible to the situation with bomb squads, sirens, dogs, and pretty flashing lights.

Let this be a lesson to all my fellow freewaybloggers out there. Forget about putting batteries and lights on your signs, lest you unleash the irrational wrath of the Department of Homeland Security. At least if you live in the Boston area, anyway. There hasn't been this much excitement in Boston since 'Golden Girls' star Bea Arthur stormed an airplane at Logan Int'l. Airport with a pocket knife. Now that's something to get your panties all in a bunch about.

Update:
Check out the great commentary on this story by teh l4m3 over at Freedom Camp.

Finally: Good News from Iraq

2007-01-31T03:58:00.000-08:00

U.S. commander urges lower expectations in Iraq
By Claudia Parsons
Reuters-

The U.S. military reported three more combat deaths on Wednesday after the man tapped to take over command of U.S. forces in the Middle East said Americans may have to lower their expectations for Iraq.
Full story here.

I'm happy to see Bush finally hired a guy who thinks the way I do. I've always told people that if you keep your expectations low, you'll rarely be disappointed. This will aid in making the war in Iraq a lot more acceptable to folks in this country. Things are looking better already. Don't you feel good about it? I know I do.

Just keep in mind that we'll also have to lower our expectations that our soldiers will be coming home alive.

Vonage Sucks !

2007-01-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

It's great to be back online. I feel like I have so much bottled up inside that needs to be said.

First and foremost, thank you to all of my loyal readers for your patience. My biggest fear of not having the ability to be able to post on a regular basis is loss of readership. I'm sure I've lost several readers over the past few weeks, but I'll just have to try that much harder now.

And now, on to Vonage. If you're considering signing up for Vonage, please reconsider, or at least look a little further into it before signing your online and telephone life away. I blame myself for not doing more research on it. I should've known certain basic things, like the fact that DSL only works when you have an active phone line attached to it. Trying to set up Vonage on a DSL system is like trying to invent a perpetual motion machine...while drunk...and blindfolded...with both hands tied behind your back...and an elephant sitting on your chest.

And yes, I'm still desperately trying to think of a way to blame this whole Vonage experience on George W. Bush. No such luck, as of yet, but I haven't given up.

While I can say that the customer service reps at Vonage were very friendly and helpful, it was in dealing with their "tech support" that convinced me, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I absolutely did not want this service even if it was for free. They actually sent me out to the store to purchase a router. One night, after about an hour of futile "troubleshooting" the lightbulb above my head suddenly turned on and I explained to the "technician" that DSL does not work without a working phone line attached to it.....complete silence on the other end of the line. That was the turning point. I then quickly and purposefully decided to dig myself back out of the hole that I had dug, and called AT&T to sheepishly explain the error of my ways and asked to come back to the fold. Want to know what AT&T did? They gave me a $50.00 gift certificate for coming back.

One other interesting thing that I discovered while doing after-the-fact research is that there is a registered site under the domain name, vonagesucks.com. Go ahead and click on it. I guess they knew there'd be problems in starting a VOIP company without tech support.

Weekend Music Video

2007-01-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

Still haven't gotten my internet service restored (thanks, Vonage). I'm posting from a borrowed computer. Watch this video until I get back, OK?

I got hooked on Boingo while I was in the military. Danny Elfman, in my humble opinion, is a musical genius.

Enjoy.

Oingo Boingo - Stay

My Apologies

2007-01-10T17:26:00.000-08:00

We are currently experiencing technical difficulties. Our technicians are feverishly working to resolve this issue. We thank you for your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Hello, readers. Sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. I'm attempting to install Vonage as my phone service and, due to a snag, this has temporarily disrupted my internet service. I'm typing this on a borrowed computer. At any rate, I hope to have things up and running by the end of the week.

In the meantime, please check out this piece which I watched on the local news last night about my good friend, Spocko. Very David and "Goliathish". I'm extremely proud of what he's done standing up to the media giants the way he has. Not too shabby for a Vulcan. He even made the front page of Daily Kos. Please take a moment to visit and congratulate him.

See you soon...

This Just In From Pat Robertson

2007-01-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

Associated Press-

In what has become an annual tradition of prognostications, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would result in "mass killing" late in 2007.

"I'm not necessarily saying it's going to be nuclear," he said during his news-and-talk television show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network. "The Lord didn't say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that."

Of course God didn't say "nuclear", Pat. Everyone knows that the correct pronunciation is "nukular", which, as George W. Bush will tell you, is the way the good Lord intended it to be spoken.

When asked for the reason behind this "mass killing", Robertson replied, "You know, the Lord doesn't give me all the answers for why He does these things, but I can tell you one thing: I have a strong suspicion that it's a direct result of feminism and homosexuality."

Happy New Year!

2006-12-31T16:32:00.000-08:00

I did my best to try and beat the Freewayblogger in his competition but I'm afraid I may have come up a little short.

Seeing as how Saddam is dead and with that, the Iraqi people will now be greeting our soldiers with hugs and flowers rather than bombs and bullets, I probably won't have to do this much longer. But until that happens, my new year's resolution is to do a shitload more of this stuff.

I present to you Highway 280, aka Free Speech Alley:

Yes, I had to leave my signature.

UPDATE: That signature is still hanging on that same overpass today, 1-2-'07. Felt good to drive underneath it today on my way home from work.

Death of a Salesman's Customer

2006-12-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

Saddam Hussein executed for war crimes

When did we decide that killing people was the best way to show that killing people is wrong? And more importantly, when are we going to evolve from this barbaric concept?

The Saddam in Rumsfeld's Closet
Oh Rummy, we hardly knew ye.

Weekend Music Video - Double Shot

2006-12-29T17:44:00.000-08:00

Amid the heavily Rap-laden 1980's, these cats didn't just break the mold, they shattered it into a million pieces.

Be sure to check out the guitar solo ......... CHECK IT!!!

Vernon Reid - quite possibly the most underrated guitarist in Rock History. Be prepared to weep at his greatness.

Living Colour - Cult Of Personality

I don't even have the words to describe what you're about to witness below. Hold onto your hats.

Devo - Whip It

Bushism of the Week

2006-12-29T03:54:00.000-08:00

"Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words."

--George W. Bush, interview with Rush Limbaugh, Nov. 1, 2006

The Bush-Ford Connection

2006-12-27T16:12:00.000-08:00

Crawford, Texas-

Before the corpse of Gerald R. Ford was even cold, George Bush came bounding out of his ranch at Crawford today for his favorite pastime: the Photo-Op.

As he spoke kind words of praise and remembrance, writtten in a fashion so that even a monkey couldn't screw it up, about a man he barely knew, I was suddenly struck by the thought that there is an obvious connection between the two men....

Neither of them were ever "elected" to the office of President of the United States.

USA is STILL #1 !

2006-12-26T04:03:00.000-08:00

...at killing Americans. We've now sent more Americans to their deaths than were killed on 9/11. Congratulations!

Military deaths in Iraq exceed 9/11 toll
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer

In a span of a few hours, 2,973 people were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In a span of 45 months, the number of American troops killed in Iraq exceeded that grim toll as the war continues.

The milestone in Iraq came on Christmas, nearly four years after the war began, according to a count by The Associated Press. In announcing the Monday deaths of three soldiers, the toll from those fighting the war surpassed the toll from those killed by terrorists in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Full story here.

Looks like it's time to make more signs in my "War Against Stupidity"...

Nollaig Shona Dhuit

2006-12-24T09:17:00.000-08:00

I found this video of Enya singing Silent Night in Gaelic. Hat tip to Lew Scannon for discussing it in his latest post. I never knew it existed 'til I read about it in his Annual Christmas Rant at Unbrainwashed.

Big thanks to Enigma for posting it at Watergate Summer, as well.

Enya- Silent Night

As a fan of language, I couldn't resist swiping the list below from Ben Heine. Thank you, Ben.

"Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year" in many languages :

AfrikaansGeseënde Kersfees en 'n gelukkige nuwe jaarAkeanonMaayad-ayad nga PaskwaMahigugmaon nga Bag-ong Dag-on kinyo tanan!
AlbanianGëzuar Krishtlindjet e Vitin e RiAleutKamgan Ukudigaa
AlsatianE güeti Wïnâchte un e gleckichs Nej Johr
AmharicMelikam yelidet beale Melikam Addis Amet-Apache (Western)Gozhqq Keshmish
Arabicاجمل التهاني بمناسبة الميلاد و حلول السنة الجديدة(Ajmel altehani bemonasebt almīlad wa helol alseneh aljedīdah)(kullu sina winta t̴ayyib - to a man) كل سنة وانت طيّب(kullu sina winti t̴ayyiba - to a woman) كل سنة وانت طيّبة
ArmenianՇնորհավոր Ամանոր և Սուրբ Ծնունդ (Shnorhavor Amanor yev Surb Tsnund)
AromanianCãrciun hãrios (Hristolu s-aflà! Dealihea cà s-afla!) shi ti multsã-anji Anlu Nàù!
AsturianBones Navidaes y Gayoleru añu nuevu!
AymaraSooma Nawira-ra
AzerbaijaniTezze iliniz yahsi olsun
BasqueZorionak eta urte berri on
BelarusianЗ Божым нараджэннем (Z Bozym naradzenniem)Сзцзаслівыцг Каліадау (Szczaslivych Kaliadau)З Новым годам i Калядамi (Z Novym godam i Kaliadami)
Blackfooti'taamomahkatoyiiksistsikomi
BretonNedeleg laouen ha bloavezh mat
BulgarianЧестита Коледа! (Čestita Koleda!)Щастлива Нова Година (Štastliva Nova Godina)
CatalanBon Nadal i feliç any nou
CebuanoMaayong PaskoMabungahong Bag-ong Tuig kaninyong tanan!
CherokeeDanistayohihv & Aliheli'sdi Itse Udetiyvasadis
CheyenneHoesenestotse & Aa'eEmona'e
Chinese(Cantonese)聖誕節同新年快樂 (singdaanjit tùnhg sànnìhn faailohk)
Chinese(Mandarin)聖誕快樂新年快樂 [圣诞快乐新年快乐] (shèngdàn kuàilè xīnnián kuàilè)
Chinese(Shanghainese)圣诞节快乐 (sendaijiq kualoq) 新年快乐 (sinni kualoq)
Chinese(Teochew)圣诞快乐新年快乐 (siandang kuailak singnin kuailak)
ChoctawYukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito
ComancheTsaa NuusukatuWaa Himaru
CornishNadelik Looan ha Looan Blethen NowethNadelack looan ha looan blethan noueth
Cree(Mitho Makosi Kesikansi)CreekAfvcke Nettvcakorakko
CroatianSretan Božić! Sretna nova godina!
CzechVeselé vánoce a šťastný nový rok
DanishGlædelig jul og godt nytår
DutchZalig kerstfeest en gelukkig nieuwjaar
EsperantoBonan Kristnaskon kaj feliĉan novan jaron
EstonianHäid Jõule ja Head Uut Aastat
FaroeseGledhilig Jol og eydnurikt nyggjar
FinnishHyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuottaFlemishZalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar
FrisianNoflike Krystdagen en folle lok en seine
FrenchJoyeux Noël et bonne année
Gaelic (Irish)Nollaig shona duit (Happy Christmas to you)Beannachtaí na Nollag (Christmas Greetings)Beannachtaí an tSéasúir (Season's Greetings)Athbhliain faoi mhaise duit (Prosperous New Year)Bliain úr faoi shéan is faoi mise duit(Happy New Year to you)
Gaelic (Manx)Nollick Ghennal as Blein Vie Noa
Gaelic (Scottish)-Nollaig chridheil agus bliadhna mhath ùr-GalicianBo Nadal e próspero aninovo
Georgianგილოცავ(თ) შობა-ახალ წელს(gilocʻav(tʻ) šoba-axal cels)
GermanFrohe/Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein gutes neues Jahr/ein gutes Neuesund ein gesundes neues Jahr / und einen guten Rutsch ins neue JahrFrohes Fest und guten Rutsch [ins neue Jahr]
German (Hessian)Frohe Weihnachte unn ein gudes neus Jahr
German (Swiss)schöni Fäschttäg / schöni Wienachteund e guets neus Jahr / en guete Rutsch is neue Johr
German (Pennsylvania)En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr
GreekΚαλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Ετος(Kala Khristougēnna kai Ēutukhismēno to Neo Ētos)
GreenlandicJuullimi ukiortaasamilu pilluaritsi
Hausabarka da Kirsimatikuma barka da sabuwar shekara
HawaiianMele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou
Hebrewחג מולד שמח ושנה טובה Chag Molad Sameach v'Shanah Tovah
HiligaynonMalipayon nga PaskwaMahamungayaon nga Bag-ong Tuig sa inyong tanan
Hindiशुभ खिसमस (Śubh Khisamasa)नये साल की हार्दिक शुभकामनायें (Naye sāl kī hārdik śubhkāmnayeṅ)
HungarianKellemes karácsonyt és boldog új évet
IcelandicGleðileg jól og farsælt komandi árGleðileg jól og farsælt nýtt árIlokanoNaragsak a PaskuaNarang-ay a Baro a Tawen kadakayo amin!
IndonesianSelamat Natal dan Tahun BaruInonhanMalipayon nga Paskwakag Masadya nga Bag-ong Tuig sa inyo tanan.
ItalianBuon Natale e felice anno nuovo
Japaneseクリスマスと新年おめでとうございます(kurisumasu to shinnen omedetō gozaimasu)
JèrriaisUn Bouan Noué et lé Nouvel An!
Judeo-Spanish / LadinoNoel alegre i felis anyo muevoKapampanganMasayang PaskuMasaplalang Bayung Banwa keko ngan!
KazakЖаратканнын туысы жене Жана Жылыныз кутты болсын(Žaratkannyn tuysy žene Žana Žylynyz kutty bolsyn)KinyarwandaNoheri nziza n'umwaka mushya muhire!
KirghizЖаратканнын туысымен Жана Жылыныз кутты болсын(Žaratkannyi tuysymen Žana Žylynyz kutty bolsyn)
KlingonyItIv QISmaS 'ej Quch chu' wa'maH 'ej cha' maSmey
Korean메리 크리스마스 새해 복 많이 받으세요 (meli k'lisŭmasŭ saehae pog manhi patŭseyo)
Kurdish (Kurmanji)Kirîsmes u ser sala we pîroz be
Kurdish (Sorani)Kirîsmes u salî nwêtan lê pîroz bê
LatinNatale hilare et annum faustum
LatvianPriecīgus Ziemassvētkus un laimīgu Jauno gadu
LithuanianLinksmų Kalėdų ir Laimingų Naujųjų Metų
LuxembourgishE schéine Krëschtdaag an e glécklecht neit JoërSchéi Feierdeeg an e glécklecht neit JoërSchei Chreschtdeeg an e gudde Rutsch an d'neit Joer
MacedonianСреќен Вожик и Среќна Нова Година(Srećen Božik i Srećna Nova Godina)
MalagasyMirary noely sambatraArahabaina tratrin'ny taona vaovao
Malayalamന വവത്സര ആശംസ (nava-valsara āshamsakal) - Happy New Year
MalteseIl-Milied Ħieni u s-Sena t-Tajba Awguri għas-sena l-ġdida
MaoriMeri Kirihimete Ka puta a Matariki, ka rere a Whanui, ko te tohu o te tau
Marathiशुभ नाताळ (Śubh Nātāḷ)नवीन वर्षच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा (Navīn varṣacyā hārdik śubhecchā)
MongolianТанд кристмас ба шинэ жилийн мэнд хүргэе(Tand kristmas ba shine jiliyn mend khürgeye)
NavajoYa'at'eeh Keshmish
NorwegianGod jul og godt nyttår (Bokmål) God jol og godt nyttår (Nynorsk)
Persian(krismas mobārak) كرسمس مبارکسال نو مبارک (sāle no mobārak)
PolishWesołych Świąt i szczęśliwego Nowego Roku
PortugueseFeliz Natal e próspero ano novo / Feliz Ano Novo Boas Festas e Feliz Ano Novo / Um Santo e Feliz Natal
Punjabiਕਰਿਸਮ ਤੇ ਨਵਾੰ ਸਾਲ ਖੁਸ਼ਿਯਾੰਵਾਲਾ ਹੋਵੇ(karisama te nawāṃ sāla khušayāṃwālā hewe)
QuenyaAlassëa Hristomerendë! Alassëa Vinyarië!
Romansh(Sursilvan dialect)Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!!
RomanianCrăciun fericit şi un an nou fericit
RussianС Рождеством Христовым и С наступающим Новым Годом(S Roždestvom Khristovym i S nastupayuščim Novym Godom)
SamoanManuia le Kerisimasi, ma le Tausaga Fou
ScotsMerry Christmas an' a Canty Hogmanay
SerbianСретан Божић и Сретна Нова Година(Sretan Božić i Sretna Nova Godina) Срећан Божић и Срећна Нова Година(Srećan Božić i Srećna Nova Godina)
SicilianBon Natali e filici annu novu
SindarinMereth Veren e-Doled Eruion! Garo Idhrinn Eden Veren!
SlovakVeselé vianoce a šťastný nový rok
SlovenianVesel Božič in srečno novo leto
SomaliCiid wanaagsan iyo sanad cusub oo fiican
Spanish¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!
SwahiliHeri ya krismasHeri ya mwaka mpya
SwedishGod jul och gott nytt år
TagalogMaligayang PaskoManigong Bagong Taon sa inyong lahat!
TamilNathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal
TahitianIa orana no te noereIa orana i te matahiti api
TeluguNootana Samvatsara Subhakankshalu - (Wish you a happy new year)
Thaiสุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส และสวัสดีปีใหม่(souksaan wan Christmas sawatdii pimaï)
Tibetanལོགསར་ལ(losalazashidele - Happy New Year)
TigrinyarHus beˋal ldet (ygberelka)
TonganKilisimasi fiefia mo ha ta'u fo'ou monū'ia
Turkishİyi seneler / Yeni yılınız kutlu olsun (Happy New Year)Yeni yılınızı kutlar, sağlık ve başarılar dileriz(We wish you a happy, healthy and successful new year)
UkrainianВеселого Різдва і з Новим Роком (Veseloho Rizdva i z Novym Rokom)
Urdu'New Year's blessings to you' = (naya saal mubarik hu) نايا سال مبارک هو'Big day's blessings to you' = (burda din mubarik hu) بڑدا دنمبارک هو
VietnameseChúc Giáng Sinh Vui Vẻ và Chúc Năm Mới Tốt Lành
VolapükLemotöfazäli yofik e nulayeli läbik
VõroHüvvä joulu ja õnnõlikku vahtsõt aastakkaWaray-WarayMaupay nga PaskoMainuswagon nga Bag-ong Tuig ha iyo ngatanan!
WelshNadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda
XhosaSiniqwenelela Ikrisimesi Emnandi Nonyaka Omtsha Ozele Iintsikelelo
ZuluSinifesela Ukhisimusi Omuhle Nonyaka Omusha Onempumelelo

Mele Kalikimaka

2006-12-20T22:50:00.000-08:00

I was happy to hear that one of the parents at our halau had posted a video of our recent Christmas Luau on YouTube. As is typical with YouTube, the video is not in time with the audio but the drumming sounded pretty good so I'm posting it. Listen for me yelling, "Hey!" at the end of it.

I hope all of you have a very Happy Holiday.

Aloha and Mele Kalikimaka.

Te Pura O Te Rahura'a Christmas Luau

Weekend Music Video

2006-12-15T21:25:00.000-08:00

This weekend, I'd like each of you reading this to reach out to someone you love. Give them a hug and tell them that you love them.

Tears For Fears - Sowing the Seeds of Love

Weekend Music Video

2006-12-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

Wow! A whole week with out a post. Sorry, folks. Been busy like you wouldn't believe what with a luau coming up that I need to perform at. Here's a video both my daughter and I agree is Weekend Music Video-worthy. Enjoy.

My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade

Weekend Music Video

2006-12-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

For a parody on '70's era TV cop shows, you can't get much better than this. Great video and one of their best tunes.

Be sure not to miss Vic Colfari as BOBBY, "THE ROOKIE" doing the old-school beat-down on a perp.

All hail Spike Jonze. Enjoy...

Beastie Boys - Sabotage