d u m b m o n k e y

s'bloody marvelous...       4.28.06
and afore we get any further, yourstruly had intended to go off on long rant re much of what we reading and seeing in the news of late, petroleum industry profits, the villains & scoundrels in our houses of government, the horrors that inflict the average citizen of **place the name of nearly any African country here but in particular those without hope in Darfur**, ahhhhhh...   shite, but we had to avoid going there, t'was a bit more than we could bear, emotionally speaking, once we began to wrestle with the putting of one word after another and try to communicate to ye how it affects ourowndamnedself in the here and now.
Instead tho' (and many of ye are likely grateful for this...), we'll be making some brief mention of a few other things that have occupied our attentions of late. Saw a sweet and wonderful film last night, and recommend it to ye without hesitation, happy to at last have seen it, it never had the opportunity to be released into any local theatre here in the hinterlands of West Texass. Mrs. Henderson Presents is the title, and reviews have, by and large, been quite positive. Directed by Stephen Frears, one of the many directors whose work l'Marquis has long appreciated, ever since the day he first saw My Beautiful Launderette (ye can include Mr. Frear's The Hit in jp's list of 100 All Time Favorite Films). Among the many things we enjoyed about this film was Bob Hoskins very fine portrayal of Vivian Van Damm, and if ye happen to be asking yourowndamnedself "who the heck is Bob Hoskins?", well, perhaps ye should start off with The Long Good Friday (where ye will also have the opportunity to see a lovely wench by the name of Helen Mirren at work), then perhaps include Mona Lisa and Felicia's Journey as well (we'll forgive him for Spice Girls, won't we Binky?), ahhhh, it's a beautiful thing to see him at work alongside Judi Dench. Lovely girl by the name of Kelly Reilly caught l'Marquis' eye, oh yessss, lovely thing she. Mentioned a long time favorite of ours a moment ago, and if you happen to be a cable/satellite television subscriber and viewer of HBO, you ought to see Elizabeth I and see Ms. Mirren at work in the role of the Virgin Queen, damned fine work.
Whilst speaking about movies, we happened upon mention of this list over at old Kottke's place and upon studied perusal of the titles, discovered that yourstruly had seen all of them, many of them during that period of time l'Marquis managed the finest indy-vid store in Berkeley, Ca (must actually give much credit to having access to the U.C. Theatre, the Pacific Film Archive, the Rialto, the Telegraph Repertory Cinema during many of those years, and that's not even mentioning theatres that were available to one via a trip across the bay to SF, like, oh, the Castro, the Clay, the Bridge, the Lumiere...). Oh, beg pardon,all of them except one, cannot recall ever having seen It's A Gift. Now, yourstruly will certainly agree the idea that they [are] the movies you just kind of figure everybody ought to have seen in order to have any sort of informed discussion about movies might be a debateable proposition, particularly since the list falls terribly short of many (!!!) international films, but it ain't a bad start.
Just a couple of other things here quickly and we'll be on our way. Belated birthday greetings to one of our longtime favorite weblogging amigos, Mark of wood s lot; relieved to see that Craig's BookNotes is back on the radar screen, albeit a bit quiet there yet, something which yourstuly imagines he can understand and empathize with, as life is difficult enough without increasing one's propensity towards paying attention to the issues and troubles of the day via one's involvement in weblogging. Why the fuck are we still doing it?
's a goddamn mystery to us too...

ahora, dos cosas, no mas...       4.26
again, local mail delivery serves up 2 New Yorkers within a day of one another, ugggghhhhhh...
wanted to share this cartoon with ye, and then, sort of the sour along w/the sweet; from Tuesday's NY Times, Rebuilding of Iraqi Oil Pipeline As Disaster Waiting to Happen

imagine, katz und kitteeez...       4.25
there's still two more years of cad-ministration bullshite to endure, and beyond that, whoa jeebus, sumbuddy tell me there be reason to hope, puh-leeezee...
Seems that Californian's feel that they have to do something in re gasoline prices; there's plenty of relevant data and information out there to make a case for us not only being blued and tattooed, we are definitely screwed, and not in a nice way.
Don't let me get started on my personal theory re what a truly representative & possessed of foresight government might be doing, or better put, acting to improve upon policies already in place and continuing to develop new strategies & realistic options to not only reduce our energy (read that as OIL/Petroleum) consumption (read that as ADDICTION) while perhaps addressing those related issues that have to do with the environment, no, do not go getting yourstruly starting on that. Ye must have some idea how crazed someone like me can become when he sees el moron in chief checking out an example of hydrogen fuel technology with that absolutely vapid look on his kisser and then treat us to some speechifying on topic of this marvelous technology of the future and how essential it is to us when there are most certainly more immediate and simpler options (if not outright solutions) to the problems that ensnare us. Fuck, he could care less, when's the last fucking time he ever paid for his gasoline.
On another topic altogether, but in some awful & convoluted way yet another example of "littlemind" think: Rec'd linky bit from left coast pal in yesterday's mail and if ye have been paying attention to the news, ye might have already come across this story out of Indiana, and -- oh gosh, I am becoming SO predictable -- you know ourowndamnedself cannot help but add linky bit of goodness like this, this, this, this and this (to list but a few examples); no, you right, Binky,
guilty as charged.
some additonal chunks of linky goodness for ye:
US: No New Refineries in 29 Years;
U.S. Royalty Plan to give Windfall to Oil Companies;
The Halliburton Agenda: The Politics of Oil and Money;
Stealth Misogyny
Bush’s War: The Fall-Out on Women and Families
The War Against Women
ye know I could go on and on, but would ye really stop in and read them all?

later that friday evening...       4.21.06
mea culpa,
have meant to provide ye this New Yorker item since I read it some days ago, from George Packer, author of The Assassins Gate, The Lesson of Tal Afar.

on a quiet friday in April...      
in re to gasoline prices lately, s'drag to be old enough to recall chipping in to buy a dollar's worth of gas (high school) when it cost less than thirty cents a gallon. On another note, Jon Carroll weighs in on that great waste of space who calls himself the decider (I know another name for him that starts with the letter D).
Ya know, if I had cancer and felt like shit all of the time, and I came across this business re FDA & Med. MJ, I'd be inclined to say FUCK YOU! to the FDA and anybody else that tried laying that bullshite on me...
Okay, I've seen it at Tony's and Kevin's so I might as well mention it here:
The Worst President in History?
btw, tippin' my ol' red fez to KM & his Popz for sharing this with us...
jaypea is really gonna need that med MJ prescription
just to live thru the next two years of cad-ministration bullshite

a wee bit of this and a wee bit of that...       4.20.06
we lead off with bit of linky goodness passed our way from left coast pal Euphorbita, from the SOAW, a video to share: Shut Down the S.O.A.;
& yah, pipe dream that Rumsfeld's resignation might be, let's keep up that particular drumbeat. From Tuesday's Newshour broadcast, General's Revolt;
from In These Times, Congenital Liars and Hypocrites, & remember,
the truth is out there, get off yer lazy bum and work hard to seek it out;
ye will recall the item linked to last on Tuesday, that Carl Bernstein Vanity Fair piece re call for senate hearings? Make a little noise about it yourowndamnedself and send off a note to your senator, perhaps include link to the V.F. item, then tell your friends (you do have friends, don't ye Binky?) and mebbe they'll do it too, and tell their friends, etc. etc. etc.

later that same day...       4.18.06
out of the online pages of Vanity Fair, and admittedly only a pipedream
(but give me one L O N G toke -- mebbe two -- offa that pipe , willya Carl?),
Carl Bernstein, Senate Hearings on Bush, Now

well, shite...      
yourstuly be damned, decider is really and truly a "word". Yah, you know us, we likely to go all garrulous and wordy and say something like "I'll be the one to make that decision" or "I'll be the one to decide...", what the hell, the weight of opinion seems to be somewhat skeptical of the quality of el residente's grey matter, let alone his mental health, most of ye already know how yourstruly feels. so, the day known as easter sunday has passed, 'round here there be catholic folk a plenty, and most take their religious holidays pretty damned seriously, e. sunday was no exception. Here at chez Esther in N.E. EPTx things were pretty low key on Sunday, considering nearly all the usual gang was in attendence, exceptions were sobrinos Matteo & Miguel who happened to be off with their Momz & her family on outing to White Sands, N.M. Appears t'was a wee bit of panic struck brother Daniel, who got word from ourowndarnedself late on Saturday that it appeared the Momz was not baking a ham for Sunday, and goshdarnitall, if he'd checked his email sometime Sunday morning he'd have found note from l'Marquis mentioning that Momz had changed her mind and yourstruly had a ham in the oven (turned out pretty darned good too!) SO- alongside all the goodies that Ken & Liz & kinder brought over (pasta salad, veggie tray, big hotdog sausages & chicken breasts for grilling and TWO pies - banana cream and chocolate cream) while brother Dave contributed case of Fat Tire and MORE big hotdog sausages (everyone had big laugh at the fact that their - Ken & Dave - twinship manifests itself in surprising ways on occasion, in this instance not only had they both brought nearly identical kinds of sausages to cook, they were dressed in surprisingly similiar fashion, both sporting striped pullover shirts from the same manufacturer and nearly same colors), Dan & partner Janet brought along the emergency baked ham plus potato salad plus big time special dessert made by Janet. There was another pie in the mix too, cannot recall who was responsible for that one, ANYWAY, all enjoyed themselves (sobrinas Rebecca and Leala had been wishing for a ham on easter sunday) and, as ye might be able to imagine, the kichen was a busy room in chez Esther on Sunday past.

they should have spoken up years ago...       4.14.06
and no doubt they wuz grumbling and mumbling amongst themselves, but they ought to have raised their voices Loud and Clear when the shitstorm started. Oh, sorry, talking about these guys (NYT link, once again, if ye don't want to register, visit BugMeNot.com).
From the PBS Newshour broadcast of 4.13, Generals Speak Out on Iraq;
from MSNBC news site, Retired general: ‘Uplifting’ if Rumsfeld removed;
from Meet the Press, 4.2.06, Interview w/Gen. Zinni (goto Pg 5 of transcript);
out of Time mag online, Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold, Why Iraq Was a Mistake;
courtesy K.M.'s GITM: General Discontent;
& now, via the good doctor's American Samizdat,
The Slander That Launched Don Rumsfeld's Career

later that same morning...       4.13.06
now I remember. Out of the front pages of the local fishwra... ahhhh, no, locally it would have to be something more like week-old enchilada wrap, the El Paso Times reports story of young soldier killed in (where else?) Iraq. Please notice that part of the story referring to Sgt. Garcia being granted U.S. citizenship posthumously and PLEASE note that Sgt. Garcia was on his SECOND tour of Iraq. Now, we introduced ye to La Reina Sucia in earlier post today, please re-visit (if ye have not done so already) to read her current post on related subject.
Note of 4.14.06: Not sure what happened to AVR's post we had linked to above, no sign of it on her weblog presently, colour us VERY curious!!!
Late Breaking Update:
succinct reply from AVR to our email inquiry:
'Death threats, plain and simple'
pass your post along to us, dearie, we'll put the damn thing up!
Altho' as we ain't some kinda famous, nobody reads the dumbmonkey

supposed to break 90 degrees locally today...      
and ye might imagine that the thought of that has yourstruly longing for the cool and the green of the S.F. Bay area, despite the awful amount of wet experienced there of late. Good weather due them after the weekend, it appears, and it's about damn time, huh Lee? Euphorbita? Janey? Phillippe? Dawn? Sara? Marti? Jan? yah, we thinks they all be ready for some days of steady sunshine.
So, we learn that Tim Goodman, esteemed TV/media critic for the S.F. Chronicle is now blogging, and as we (oops, forgot the damn rule) have been longtime fan of his column, be good to get a bit more of that crankypants attitude via The Bastard Machine. His take on what I think has got to be the stupidest game show of all time is "spot on", and I've Euphorbita to thank for sharing his opinion with me, printed in last Monday's Chron, seek out the quote regarding Deal or No Deal.
And where has the esteemed Craig Jensen and his Booknotes gone? Last I noticed was mention of reaching his six year anniversary, including a mention of his uncertainty regarding the future course of Booknotes. Damn, C.J., we'll miss if ye are gone, but gotta say, I know the feeling and vacillate between hanging in there and hanging it up fairly regularly 'round here. Oh, nearly forgot (again) to pass along link sent by aforementioned pal Euphorbita re Harry Taylor: Hooray for Harry, via Alternet, and certainly a lot more user friendly and to the point than the link to W.H. transcript provided by T. Pierce mentioned here previously.
On another topic altogether, I would be remiss if I didn't share this next chunk of linky goodness, via La Muerte herowndamnedself, allow us to introduce ye to Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez AKA La Queen Sucia (altho' ourowndamnedself might modify that to La Reina Sucia...) and dammitalltohellandback, I know I am forgettin' sumptink, mebbe be back sooner than I think...

not often that yourstruly's in agreement...       4.12.06
with them of the military mindset, but some news we heard earlier today had us trumpeting "Hear Hear!". It has been all too painfully obvious for entirely TOO long a time that Donald Rumsfeld should be relieved of his duties. Interesting interview, by the way, with General Anthony Zinni here; of course, none of this is news, really, right Binky? That he wasn't shitcanned after Abu Gharaib saw the light of day is just another indicator of the dangerous ineptitude of the cad-ministration. From the Rolling Stone on-line, The Generals Speak.

how did that rule go again, Binky?       4.11.06
think we, uhhhh...   I got it covered.
Okay then, anybody who's been a regular visitor hereabouts (and I thank thee for acquiring such a terrible and debilitating habit...) over the years can attest to the enormous dislike I have for the individual currently ensconced as primary resident there in la casa blanca, Wash. DC. Many times I have said things about him hereabouts (as well as in many public venues) that might be categorized as, oh, perhaps caustic, derogatory, belittling, calumnious, censorious, opprobrious, reproachful, malevolent, disdainful, and just plainly uncomplimentary. He (at the cost of repeating myself) is a dunderhead, a lying simpleton. He is a person without a shred of intellectual curiosity, possessed of so little compassion as to rival Torquemada, perhaps le autre Marquis, he of the name DeSade. Acckkk, enough, enough, Basta! We (damn, there I go again...) digress, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. I shall not claim exclusivity to having referred to the Moron-In-Chief within past d'monkey entries as the resident or (occasionally) "el residente" (nor do I claim any exclusivity to the many references also made hereabouts as to the cad-ministration), nevertheless it tickled us when, upon a visit to our Finnish farmer friend at Hemaworstje (aka Fulminatia), I happened upon a link there leading to residentbush.com, the precise embodiment of the spirit intended to be invoked when referring to GWB as the resident. Merci, Finnish Farmer Guy!, Well Done, ye folke @ residentbush.com.
Continuing on in similiar fashion, from the New Yorker issue of 4.3.06, by Steve Coll, Deluded, and I will add that it was my good fortune to pick up copy of Cobra II from local library before my recent trip to Albany, Ca. environs. No greater indictment of Donald Rumsfeld's incompetence is yet available, and I am not certain that one is required once you've finished seeing what Mssrs Gordon & Trainor have to say. Occasionally, one hears some hyperbolic commentary re a book, something like the book that every American should read; okay then, this is that book. While you're at it, you might also add Michael Scheuer's Imperial Hubris & George Packer's The Assassins Gate to that list.
Momz and I had dinner w/amiga Euphorbita on our last evening in the east bay, and I was happy to learn that Miss E. occasionally had opportunity to watch MSNBC's Countdown (w/K. Olbermann). Something in Olbermann's delivery alongside his political mindset that's awfully appealing to mineowndarnedself. Not sure that I first heard about Harry Taylor on Olbermann's show, but it's awfully likely. What's that ye say Binky? Who's Harry Taylor? With thanks & a tip of the old red fez to the esteemed Tony Pierce, here's what you oughta know. Say "Thanks!" to Harry for speaking up on behalf of SO many of us by going here.

a tale of two sandwiches...       4.10.06
uhhhhh, well, sorta...
yourstruly is back from way too brief (in many ways) visit to S.F. Bay area, happily got the major reason for making trip taken care of, thank the goddess for timely breaks in the weather, which was, largely, wet, wet, wet. Kind of a pleasure, truth be told, to be rained upon after the many months spent in the arid desert southwest, where, one might imagine, the lack of humidity likely affects one's psyche in the way it was affecting the Taylor we've become so fond of. One's return also has us experiencing some large degree of something akin to withdrawal symptoms, eyes having become used to the verdant variety of emerald greens of Albany environs & the well-soaked bay area hillsides. First day in (a Thursday) we had to stop by wee Mom&Pop grocery/deli in the Westbrae district of Berkeley on l'Marquis' way homeward from el aeropuerto. Excellent and inexpensive sandwiches available at the deli counter therein, a pastrami and swiss on dark rye with everything is that delicious item you see pictured there alongside. Yummy, yum, yum, and we was jonesing BIGtime for a pastrami sammich...
Spent very enjoyable evening in the company of amigos Janey and Phillipe, pizza dinner with some other goodies on the table alongside, a nice red wine (alongside a bit of the pause that refresheth) and then a few hours of Phil and ourowndamnedself sharing a guitar (el chango tonto didn't take one along on this trip, t'was a brief visit, after all...) and harmonizing along with one another. Phil is a very talented musician and played a lovely version of the Beatle's Blackbird whilst ourowndarnself attempted to do justice to his adept touch on fretboard and strings with our croaky ol' voice. A jolly few hours it was, tho' we might have kept them up later than they'd planned. Missed connecting with autre ami, Lee S., he of the mighty Skirblog, and that largely our own darned fault, what with getting sidetracked after arrival of the Momz, who we thought could also use a few days of holiday away from the dust and wind and endless goddamned sunshine. The Momz and ourself met up with great pal of many, many years, Dawn H., and again, l'Marquis has only hisowngoshdarnedself to blame for not making more effort at staying in touch. Was a wonderful thing to see Ms D., truly one of the finest human beings it has been our pleasure to become acquainted with. Lunch at Le Cheval was the order of the day, and perhaps l'Marquis' next visit shall allow us much greater opportunity for sharing quality time together with good friends.
Some things we missed doing (eating, actually): didn't visit our fave neighborhood Chinese restaurant Tsing Tao, again, definitely next time around; no burrito or taco from Gordo's (even nearer chez d'monquis than Tsing Tao...); getting into the city by the bay (speaking specifically of S.F.) for something yummy at Tu Lan or Bloody Marys at The Red Jack. Weather cleared up substantially on Wednesday afternoon, allowing us opportunity for long stroll around Cesar Chavez park on the Berkeley waterfront, t'was a blustery day to be sure, but a lovely walk it was. It was also largely due to the fairly constant precipitation that yourstruly had opportunity to finally see The Best of Youth, and we recommend this film to ye without reservation, truly worth seeing, all six hours (yesssss, indeedy, two discs on DVD) of it, so plan accordingly, katz und kitteez, perhaps you'll have your own inclement weather forcing ye indoors for a bit. More later, and soon...

April showers...       4.4.06
And How!!! According to the weather prognosticators on variety of local television news shows, this been the moistest March in Bay Area environs in many years. Pretty darned, wet, l'Marquis agrees, Highway One closed at Devil's Slide (again), dangerous situations aplenty due to the over-saturated hillside soils all over the immediate Bay Area and Northern Ca. in general. Likely will even effect California produce availability down the road as many orchards in blossom are going to suffer as a result of the unrelenting rains of the month of March, forecasts are for another week of the same, at minimum. Definitely the kind of weather for seeing a movie, or two, perhaps three...
Haven't yet connected with pal Lee S. (other than via the telefono) but with a little luck maybe still have opportunity to do so before departing local environs on Thursday. Noted his mention of the passing of Ali Farka Toure, inspiring us to point ye to Sunday NY Times piece in the travel section re the marvels of Mali. Be sure to visit the related linky bit of goodness re sampling the sounds of Mali.