Right Wing World: Outrage at Costco!

I get outraged every time I go to Sam's Club, and walk through the book aisle. Okay, not outraged, more like irked. Sam's has a very large selection conservative and religious (Christian, naturally) books, when you consider that they really don't carry all that many books in the first place. It's a high percentage Occasionally, you might see Hillary Clinton peeking out from the shelves, but more likely, it's Bill O'Reilly, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, or any of an assortment of treacly, preachy books.

I shop at Sam's more than Costco, simply because it's much closer to my house. But I prefer Costco in almost every regard, except for its placement on the map, and the fact that they don't carry pepperoni (essential on the Atkins diet, for me anyway). Costco's Kirkland brand is head and shoulders above Sam's Choice. And while they might carry some of those right-wing books--as evidenced by the excerpted story below--they don't overwhelm in the same way.

So, I've got to say, if Right Wing World intends to boycott Costco, I say go for it. It might be easier for me to get into and out of the place on one of those Sundays where I schedule my errands out that way!

[Excerpt]

Costco Pulls Dinesh D’Souza’s D’Book From Shelves Over Poor Sales, Replaces With Wrath Of The Wingnuts
 
Where oh where will the wingnuts of the near future go for deals on grosses of “World’s Greatest Grandma” t-shirts and barrel-sized containers of Twizzlers? Certainly not Costco, which is the newest and shiniest focus of right-wing rage after the warehouse retailer made the decision to pull Dinesh D’Souza’s latest book from its shelves. Costco claims this was part of its ordinary monthly rotation of stock – the book was released on June 2 but did not meet a certain sales threshold, moving only 3600 copies in four weeks, so the company pulled it to make room for something else. Which is JUST WHAT THEY WOULD SAY. . .

Read more at: Wonkette

Behind the Blogger: Pop Culture Potholes

I like to consider myself a pop culture guru. I have a talent for remembering the minutia of cast lists, TV schedules, the years movies or songs came out, third or fourth hits from bands people think are one-hit wonders. . . the lot. It's something of a useless talent, now that we have the Googles on the internets. I've been replaced by a smart phone these days.

But it's always been something of a sham, anyway. There is a huge list of pop culture that I've never sampled. Some of it proudly (oddly), and some I've just either never gotten around to, or never had any interest in. So here, in brief, is a list of pop culture that I've never taken part in.

Movies

- Any Godfather movie
- Citizen Kane
- Any Twilight movie
- Enter the Dragon, or anything from the martial arts ouvre
- Rudy or almost any other sports-themed movie
- Any Rocky or Rambo movie
- Annie Hall
- Any Acadamy Award Best Picture movie from 1976 to 1989, including The Deer Hunter, Amadeus, Platoon, Terms of Endearment and Gandhi 

Television

- The King of Queens
- The Nanny
- According to Jim
- The Sopranos
- Game of Thrones
- Madmen
- Monk 
- Walker, Texas Ranger
- Sons of Anarchy
- Breaking Bad- The Vampire Diaries
- And oddly for me, Smallville, Arrow, Charmed and Supernatural 

Books


- Any The Gunslinger Stephen King story (though I've read everything else)
- The Red Badge of Courage
- The Grapes of Wrath
- Gone With the Wind
- W.E.B. Griffitn, Tom Clancy or almost any other military-themed work
- Fifty Shades of Grey
- The Book of Mormon (I tried, but then "it came to pass. . ." 10,000 times)
- The Scarlet Letter
- The Catcher in the Rye
-  Diary of Anne Frank

Picture of the Day: Sarah Palin, Fictional

Source: Kenneth in the (212)

George W. Bush's New Book: Deception Points?

We've known for some time that George W. Bush's memoirs were going to be out shortly after the election. We also knew that it would largely be an effort to shore up his fairly saggy legacy. So, of course we figured that it would have a few lapses from the truth. How could it not? Anyway, while the title Decision Points is suitably vague and typically odd phrasing ("I'm the decider!"), I much preferred my own book idea for him, from the early days of the blog.

[Excerpt]

George Bush's Deception Points



Having read that people began lining up in front of bookstores before former President Bush's memoir, Decision Points, was due to be released, I hurried off to purchase mine early on November 9, arriving about fifteen minutes after opening time. I have the distinction of being the first person to purchase Bush's book in Santa Fe, New Mexico. . .
 
Read more at: Huffington Post
 

A Good Old-Fashioned Book Burning!

On my Facebook page, I asked this simple question:

"Question for everybody: When is a book burning EVER a good idea?"

I got a variety of answers I hadn't considered.  One of them inspired me to create the image seen here, which warms my heart a little!  The story behind the creation of the image forms the basis of my next post, detailing my experiences with learning PhotoShop on the Mac platform.

Mac Update: My Experience Learning PhotoShop CS3

In my ongoing efforts to train myself both on the Mac and with Adobe CS3, I assigned myself a project.  Arising from a discussion on Facebook, I decided to create an image of a good book burning. Naturally, I'd pick books from the likes of Sean Hannity, Laura Schlessinger, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Jonah Goldberg, Bill O'Reilly, Karl Rove and the like.  First, I had to find an image of a bonfire:

Then, I needed some images of books.  So far, so good, so easy. Although, I must say, doing this in Corel Photo-Paint X3 (my self-taught image editor of choice) is more intuitive for me.  With Corel, all I have to do when I find an online image is press Ctrl+C to copy it, then in Corel press Ctrl+Shift+N to open the new image.  In PhotoShop, I can't find the "paste new image" feature, so I saved each online image and opened them in PhotoShop.

Next, I had to mask each book to remove its background.  This is something I learned over the years in Corel through trial and error.  While the tools in PhotoShop are similar, I found that it was nowhere near as intuitive, and nowhere near as fast. I'll concede that I did not use tutorials or a "For Dummies" book.  I just tried to figure it out myself, something that has served me well in Corel.  Clearly, I may have to get a "how to" book after all (and man I hate following instructions!).

Next, I had to paste each masked book onto the bonfire, and then size, rotate and skew them to make it look like they're scattered around.  This caused much frustration. In Photo-Paint, selecting, skewing and changing individual pasted objects is child's play. . .simple and easy.  In PhotoShop, I found that I had to navigate menus, palettes, right-clicks and layers.  It was excruciatingly frustrating.  Applying changes vexed me, and I found the only way to easily accomplish the task was to change tools, and wait for the "apply changes?" prompt.

After playing around with all of these images for close to two hours, this is the result I came up with:

Final image, created on Mac PowerBook with PhotoShop
(Click to embiggen)

It's pretty much what I was going for, but looks like what it is: a bunch of pasted books in front of a bonfire.  After all the time I spent, I was disappointed.  And I wanted a better image for the blog.  So, I came into the PC I'm so much more familiar with, opened Corel Photo-Paint, and started from scratch. Well, almost scratch.  I found that I can semi-successfully network the Mac to the PC (it's inconsistent, and does not work as easily as all the "switching to Mac" books say it is), so all of my original images could be imported without looking for them again.

I opened each book image, and the bonfire. In Photo-Paint, I re-masked all the books, pasted them into the bonfire image, rotated, skewed and sized them.  I brushed out some of the edges of the book to let the background peek through. I added flames with the image sprayer tool.  In short, I got a much better, much more realistic image, and I completed it in about 15 minutes!

Final image created in Corel Photo-Paint on my PC
(Click to embiggen)

Now, I'm not saying that either image is a masterpiece. My intent wasn't for extreme photo-realism, just basically a political cartoon.  I spend enough time on the computer as it is, and most of my created-for-blog images are quickies.  But so far, this process is so much easier and faster on my PC, I can already tell that teaching myself Adobe CS3 on the Mac is going to be an arduous slog.

Screen Shot of Mac Desktop During Project

Part of the problem is the whole layout of each program, and the fact that I've gotten so used to the Microsoft Windows way of doing things. That, and the fact that Corel has such dynamic, easy-to-use tools.  In Corel, every tool you pick opens a dynamic toolbar, with all settings available at your fingertips.  Adobe uses palettes (which Corel has if you want them, but they dock nicely to the edge of the screen, and stay out of your way), which litter the screen, and distract my eye.  Also, Windows programs can be zoomed to full-screen, blotting out all other open programs.  Each program can take sole focus, acting as a container for only what you're working on.  On the Macintosh, windows overlap, with no containing boundary.  So, if you have a web browser open, it is visible under all of your Adobe palettes, your open image window, everything.

Windows 7 Sceen Shot During Project

This clutter hurts my brain, and frustrates me no end. I'm sure there are second-nature cures for much of this (if you're a seasoned Mac user), but making all of that go away is not intuitive.  And I'll bet there isn't a Mac setting to put a containing window behind all of those palettes.  If you look at my two screen shots here, you can see an example of the clutter on the Mac, and the nice, open, clean workspace on the PC.  But it goes beyond that really.  What I want is a feature that Corel has had for years.  If you're an Adobe user crossing over to Corel, you can quickly change the layout to emulate Adobe, lickety-split.  The whole layout changes to look just like you were using PhotoShop (or Illustrator, if you're using CorelDraw).  Adobe could give the Corel-using artist an enormous leg up by returning the favor.

So, my self tutelage continues. It is clear that I'm going to need to get some lesson-teaching books if I don't want to go crazy.  But that in itself is gonna drive me nuts.  I'm too many years along to be learning my ABCs and 123s.  Imagine wanting to learn algebra, but being forced to start with 1st-grade addition and subtraction, and working your way up.  Ugh.  This is not as fun as I thought it would be.

Sarah Palin to "Write" Another Book! More Millions!

Ugh, that woman again. But it's always fun to see Countdown with Keith Olbermann make fun of her (with an assist from Richard Wolffe).

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Keith Olbermann "Fact Checks" Sarah Palin's Going Rogue

Maybe instead of calling her memoir Going Rogue (or my preferred title, Goin' All Mavericky), Sarah Palin should have called her book Makin' Stuff Up. That way, nobody would be fact checking at all!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Olbermann's WTF? Moment: Bush the Bookworm?

I remember when we heard about George W. Bush's voracious reading habit, and thought they must be lying about it. Bush didn't seem like much of a reader, and was in fact known for having little patience for briefings and such. But what if it were true? That he really read hundreds of books during his tenure? How could a man as busy as the President of the United States have enough time to read that much?

The theory that Dick Cheney was the real President for the last eight years is getting more and more credible.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Book Report: Dean Koontz's The Darkest Evening of the Year

Image from Amazon.com

I was trapped waiting for my truck last week, after a routine smog check/oil change that lead to four visits to the shop and $1200 in repairs (so far). But on that first visit, to fill my time, I walked to K-Mart and found a new Dean Koontz paperback book to read.

I love Dean Koontz (and Stephen King, Robin Cook and John Saul), despite the derision he gets from "true" literary fans. I don't care if real readers don't like him, I do. The Other Half and I do have a joke about any new Koontz book though, "Wait, don't tell me. It's about a golden retriever, a man and a woman who fall in love under strained circumstances in a Jeep Cherokee in Orange County, and everything wraps up a little too quickly."

The Darkest Evening of the Year, the book I picked up, fits that joke exactly, except Koontz seems to have switched car preferences to Fords (this time an Expedition). But I can forgive him, especially as it pertains to the dog(s), since he lost his beloved golden recently. And despite the repetition in themes, I've always enjoyed his books. One of the interesting Koontz themes, is the tendency to have a seemingly supernatural force that is eventually explained to be natural.

In this book, the other-worldly happenings aren't explained away, in fact they are sort of shrugged off. It didn't lessen my enjoyment of the book, but it did lead me to sort of shrug it off when I was finished. I was interested all the way through, got to the end, and put it down. Done. Not interested any more.

The title has nothing to do with the story. The characters were interchangeable with those from any other Koontz books. The dogs were lovingly described, and I cared what was going on, while it was going on. But a lot of books leave me wanting more, leave me sorry that the book was finished. This one was just over and done.

It wasn't the worst book I've read by this author or any other. In fact, it was better than many, and a worthwhile way to pass the time. But I wouldn't go out of my way to catch this one. Read it during your next flight, or the next time you (like me) have car trouble. But seek out a different one if you're looking for a meaty story. I hope Mr. Koontz finds a suitable replacement in his heart for Trixie, his dog, and moves on to other material. And I'm sure I'll be back to read it, whatever it is.

Review: OK for fans, pass for others.

Barack Obama's Rebuttal of Corsi Obama Nation Book

Image from source, FightTheSmears.com

If you watch any amount of cable news (and as always kids, if you haven't tried it, don't start) you've heard of a book called Obama Nation by Jerome Corsi. He's so familiar to FOX "News" viewers by now, they probably think he's a regular correspondent. He was the co-author of Unfit for Command, the book that effectively sunk John Kerry's campaign four years ago.

For as much press as Corsi has gotten, you'd think he was a credible author. But while FOX loves him, his reception by many others has been much more critical. That shouldn't come as much of a surprise given that his co-author on the Kerry book, Paul O'Neill, was forced to distance himself from Corsi during the heyday of that book.

Barack Obama has issued a rebuttal to the book, called Unfit for Publication. And bully for him. Don't you wish Kerry had tried the same tack? Even Kerry is on board this time though, with a website called TruthFightsBack.com.

[Excerpt]

Unfit for Publication

One of the most vile smear peddlers of the 2004 election has found a new target.
Jerome Corsi just published a new book full of rehashed distortions and the same old lies about Barack Obama, and the right-wing noise machine is in full gear promoting it.

In 2004, Corsi helped launch the Swift Boat smear campaign with a book of distortions and lies he wrote about John Kerry.

It’s up to you to spread the truth, so here it is. We’ve posted some of the facts about Corsi and his desperate fabrications on this page, but there’s even more in our PDF: Unfit for Publication.

Scott McClellan Spills the Beans on Bush Administration

Photo from source, Raw Story

Now this is the kind of political story that makes liberal moonbat bloggers like me salivate. Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan (or Puffy McMoonface, if you're a Stephanie Miller Show fan) has written a tell-all (or tell some) book, and it looks like it's going to be a doozy. I'd like to make a little wish right now, that this is just the first in a series of books from former Bush Administration officials, so that someday we can piece all the lies, crimes and heinousness together.

[Excerpt]

Former White House spokesman: Bush used 'propaganda' to sell war

In a new tell-all memoir on sale next week, former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan writes that the president depended on propaganda to sell the Iraq war to the American public, The Politico reports.

McClellan's "surprisingly scathing" and "often harsh" What Happened: Inside the Bush White House... also contains, as Mike Allen writes for Politico, other standout revelations. . .

Find out what some of them are at: Raw Story

Matt Taibbi's New Book: The Great Derangement

Rolling Stone columnist and frequent Real Time with Bill Maher guest, Matt Taibbi has written a new book about deception in American media and politics. If this preview video is any indication, it should be a real page turner. Check it out.



Source: The Great Derangement

Young Turks: Clintons' Millions & Bush Speaking

Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks reacts to the revelation of the Clinton's multi-million dollar haul over the last several years, largely for writing books and giving speeches. He contrasts that with the likelihood of George W. Bush spending the next several years trying to do the same. Take a look.

Books I Can't Wait to Read: Brotherhood of the Disappearing Pants

This book is sure to be a hoot. It's by the authors of Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O'Reilly, and Fair and Balanced My Ass. Both of those books are hysterical and informative, and with this particular target, they really can't miss.

The Brotherhood of the Disappearing Pants: A Field Guide to Conservative Sex Scandals by all rights should be a multi-volume set, and the way things are going, it one day will be. Thankfully, the authors have also started a website, which you can go to here.

NOTE: One of the authors will be on The Thomm Hartmann Show on Air America Radio Wednesday, October 24 at 2:00pm EST.

[Excerpt]

Author Rounds Up Conservative Sex Scandals

Sex scandals certainly aren’t anything new. Politicians and public figures have been canoodling since the beginning of time. The frequency and potency of sex scandals, however, seems to be on the rise.

No surprise, then, that it only took Joseph Minton Amann and Tom Breuer about six months to write The Brotherhood of the Disappearing Pants: A Field Guide To Conservative Sex Scandals. Why just conservative sex scandals? Says Amann, “Liberal scandals aren’t as fun. And, honestly, it doesn’t look like there are as many.”

Read the rest at: Queerty.com