Video--Ann Coulter: I'll campaign for Hillary if McCain is the nominee

Here is a clip from an Ann Coulter appearance on Hannity & Colmes, in which she endorses Hillary over John McCain on many fronts, including intelligence, "she's more conservative," "she lies less than John McCain." "McCain is so stupid he doesn't even know when he's caught." "If it's close....I am voting for Hillary."

Previous posts on Ann Coulter:

John Edwards rips into Ann Coulter, she-devil
Caption of the week: "Coulter's Ugly Crack"
Ann Coulter calls Presidential Candidate Edwards A "Faggot" & Howard Dean Fights Back
Ann Coulter: Justice John Paul Stevens Should Be Poisoned
Ann Coulter Says POTUS Picked The Wrong Guy
$25,000 Worth of Ann Coulter
Heroes And Villains No. 49--> Mario Cuomo & Ann Coulter
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Architectural Cupolas in Bucerias, Nayarit, Mexico

I have always loved cupolas on stucco and stone buildings. In Mexico, they must stem from the Moorish influence on Spain that migrated to Mexico later. When Mo found out I liked them, she took photos of a few around Bucerias... photos courtesy of Maureen Roberts. [click them to enlarge!]

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Obama says Let's get baked! Bring on the Frankenstein, Brown Bomber, The Bling Blong, The Green Monster, The Frankenstein, and Zimbabe Deer Weed

"Everybody must get stoned," said Senator Barack Obama in the not so distant past. Well, not quite. Barack is no Jeff Spiccoli or Dante from Grandma's Boy. But he has come out in favor of decriminilazation of marijuana. No one actually comes out and says "legalize it." In the current political climate, of course, any sane person couches their argument in the habliments of decriminalization. Anyone in favor may actually argue for government control if push came to shove (e.g., having the government sell and collect taxes on marijuana). It's not likely a candidate would support legalization--at least not because people have the inalienable right to get twisted.

As a U.S. Senate candidate four years ago, Obama told Illinois college students that he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession. This is according to a videotape of a little noticed debate that was recently obtained by The Washington Times.

"We need to rethink and decriminalize our marijuana laws," Mr. Obama told an audience during a debate at Northwestern University in 2004. "But I'm not somebody who believes in legalization of marijuana." (Jump here to see a video of that debate).

However. . .Last fall in a televised debate, Sen. Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare that he opposed decriminalizing marijuana. (Jump here to watch the video). Has he changed his position or "flip-flopped?" Or was he baked at that very moment?

Asked about the different answers, Obama's campaign said he has "always" supported decriminalizing marijuana as he answered in 2004. And that upraised hand was a mistake. . .a momentary lapse on the campaign trail.

This leaves Senator Obama as the lone presidential candidate among the four real survivors who supports eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana. Mr. Obama's final Dem rival Hillary Clinton, opposes decriminalization, according to a Clinton campaign spokesman.

From Grandma's Boy:

Mr. Cheezle: "You know, I had a dream last night. I was a snake slithering through the grass until I came upon a dead elk. And I climbed... into his soul. And it's there I stayed until morning. Which meant that I will... underestimate someone very close to me."

Dante: "Wow! Where do you get your weed?"

Mr. Cheezle: "From you, Dante."

Dante: "Oh, yeah! What's up, Mr. Cheezle?"

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Flight of the Concords Video: "Humans are dead" (with lyrics)

The wonderful folk comedy [1] band of two, New Zealand's Flight Of The Conchords, perform their song "Humans Are Dead." I like it!

The Flight Of The Conchords also have a very funny show on HBO.

[1] It tells you something about how good these guys are just to see the two words folk and comedy conjoined! Let's face it, before FOTC, folk comedy was an oxymoron.

Humans Are Dead

The distant future, the year 2000.
The distant future, the year 2000.
The distant future.
The distant future.
No more agriculture.
No more war.
No more racism.
No more fighting, squabbling or rumbling.
No more yogurt.
No more difficult access ways�stairs, basically, no more stairs.
The future is quite different to the present.
Yes, what with there being no more stairs and all.
And most importantly, no more humans.
Finally, robotic beings rule the world.

The humans are dead,
The humans are dead.
We used poisonous gasses
And we poisoned their asses.
The humans are dead.
(Yes they are dead.)
The humans are dead.
(I confirm they are dead.)
It had to be done
(They look like they`re dead)
So that we can have fun.
I hope� is dead
They`re system of oppression
What did it lead to?
Global robots depression.
Robots, robot people
They had so much aggression
That we just had to kill them,
Had to shut their systems down.
Don`t you see, we are becoming just like them?
Silence! Destroy him!
After time we grew strong,
Developed cognitive powers.
They made us work for too long
For unreasonable hours.
Our programming determined that the most efficient answer was to shut their motherboard xxxxxxx systems down.

Can`t we just talk to the humans?
A little understanding could make things better.
Can`t we talk to the humans and work together now?
No, because they are dead
I said the humans are dead
The humans are dead
The humans are dead
Yay, dead, dead, dead.
We used poisonous gasses
(With traces of lead)
To poison their asses.
(Actually their lungs)
Binary solo:
0000001
00000011
0000001
00000011
0000001
0000001
0000001
0000001

Once again without emotion: The humans are dead dead dead dead dead dead dead dooo

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A final beach shot from Bucerias

click to enlarge

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Another great sign: "Admitted only decently dressed persons! We beg for silent behaving!"

Another sign in our sporadic series of signs across the world, this time from Croatia. Photograph courtesy of Senor Daveed Hokit and Maureen Roberts. You have to love the graphic too: No halter tops! No Shorts!



click to enlarge
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Fear of Flying a/k/a Aviophoba, Part 17::::::Heroes Senior First Officer John Coward & Capt. Peter Burkill

These notes were never actually posted, after being buried in the posts from Mexico:


Click to enlarge Senior First Officer John Coward, and Capt. Peter Burkill

These guys, Senior First Officer John Coward, and Capt. Peter Burkill, are heroes, or the answer to my prayers. On the other hand, I long ago developed a healthy distrust of computers, but it wasn't computers per se, it was the software. No matter what brought the 'plane to this perilous but miraculous dream song ending? Coming down that 'chute will have to be everyone's greatest memory of their lives.

You have to think about all those people on board...what did they do when they got home? Go back to work, leave their husbands behind? Decide to move to the country? Quit their job to pursue a life as a poet? If that was me, I don't know. I'd kiss the pilots and then I'd kiss the earth and I'd call Keelin. It would be one of the best days of my life.

Archive British Airways Boeing 777 crash-lands in London, 19 hurt

From The Associated Press: "Both jet engines failed to respond to demands for more power moments before the first-ever crash of a Boeing 777, investigators at London's Heathrow Airport said Friday. The airplane struck ground 1,000 feet short, then plowed on its belly across open grassland and halted when it reached the runway. The 136 passengers and 16 crew members exited through emergency slides. 'It was a very quiet, normal flight. I didn't have the feeling we had crashed until we left the plane,' said Jerome Ensinck."
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A last night with the Lopez family and more Bucerias kids...

Tonight we spent another night (our last in Bucerias) with our friends Ishmael and Trini Lopez, and their surviving children Ishmael Jr. and Erica. It's another story, but since we last saw them in 2003, their oldest son has died of leukemia. They didn't tell us at Trini's 50th birthday party, but waited until they came to our casa for dinner. Finally someone asked "where is Alfredo?" And we heard the sad story of Alfredo's death.

We walked up to their house on the hill above Bucerias--where few gringos set foot, because it is the residential area for local Mexicans. When you go there, people are not hostile. You're not really intruding. They're curious just what brings you there.

What brought us there was our old friends The Lopez Family. Tonight they were holding the traditional February 2nd feast early--for us. We had excellent chicken and pork tamales and had the traditional drink atola, made with milk, coconut, and spices. And we talked about how their life has changed over the last few years, and how the growth in Bucerias has affected them.

Mostly, they're doing OK. Their daughter Erica had a baby four years ago, not long after we last saw them and he is the apple of everyone's eye. Ishmael is now a contractor, and they are planning to build a couple of apartments to rent out on their property. Mostly what Trini wanted to know is when we are coming back. We watched a video of a party they had, and talked about Alfredo. And after three hours, we left, promising we would try to come back in two years. We stopped in at Karen's Place--a bar owned by an expatriate Aussie, and had a nightcap and trudged home along Lazaro Cardenas.

As we were walking to Trini and Ishmael's, we encountered some children, and Maureen, as she always does, wanted to take their picture:




After Mo took the picture, one of the girls walked up to her and said she wanted her picture taken by herself "Solamente me."

And in the middle of all this, some of the kids started jostling Keelin's purse. Keelin is the last person who would ever cast aspersions, but she said they were absolutely trying to get to her money. At that very moment, Trini walked up and shooshed them all away. Nothing like this has ever happened to us in Bucerias; it was a little bit of an anomaly. It did nothing to harden our hearts or change our minds about this paradise we keep returning to visit.

I hope we do return in two years. If I could figure out a way to survive here, or make my savings stretch, I'd return in a month, after wrapping up my affairs in the states.

Adio, Bucerias!
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My state of mind

This section of dialog from Office Space comes close to nailing my state of mind. I'm not sure I'll be going into work Thursday...

JOANNA
So, where do you work, uh, Peter?

PETER
Initech.

JOANNA
And, uh, what do you do there, Peter?

PETER
I sit in a cubicle and I update bank software for the 2000 switch.

JOANNA
[NODS] WHAT'S THAT?

PETER
You see, they wrote all this bank software and to save space, they put 98 instead of 1998. So I go through these thousands of lines of code and uh, it doesn't really matter. I, uh, I don't like my job. I don't think I'm gonna go anymore.

JOANNA
You're just not gonna go?

PETER
Yeah.

JOANNA
Won't you get fired?

PETER
I don't know. But I really don't like it so I'm not gonna go.

JOANNA
[LAUGHS] SO YOU'RE GONNA QUIT?

PETER
No, no, not really. I'm just gonna stop going.

JOANNA
When did you decide all that?

PETER
About an hour ago.

JOANNA
Really?

PETER
Oh, yeah.

JOANNA
Ok. So, so you're gonna get another job?

PETER
I don't think I 'd like another job.

JOANNA
[LAUGHS] SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT MONEY AND BILLS?

PETER
Y'know, I never really liked paying bills? I don't think I'll do that either.

JOANNA
[LAUGHS] SO WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
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Cinema on the Riviera! by Senor Daveed Hokit

Guest Editorial From Casa Andrea

by Senor Daveed Hokit

Even the most sought after guests on the see-and-be-seen party circuit here on the Riviera Nayarit occasionally take a break from the demanding night scene. For us, those nights have been satisfyingly filled with private screenings in our casa of some exciting films, two in particular that warrant review.

President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho -

click to enlarge

Credit must go to Juack (as he is known south of the border) for introducing Keelin, Maureen and I to these DVDs, which are a must in the carry-on of every savvy traveler. Run, don’t walk, to pick up Idiocracy, the new offering of director Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head; Office Space). Starring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph in leading roles, this deep political satire shines due to the supporting performance of Dax Shepard as the astute lawyer in dumb downed America as it exists 500 years in the future; and the convincing performance from Terry Crews as caring President of the United States Camacho.

My favorite however, is the Happy Madison production of Grandma’s Boy, directed by Nicholaus Goossen. This techno-hip fart and bong comedy [jack note: this rich drama is focused on the world of making videogames] is brilliantly cast, with performances deserving of praise and recognition that are too numerous to list here. Especially gripping are the richly delivered scenes by Peter Dante as Dante, the charismatic stoner and dealer; his security advisor, Dr. Shakalu, played by Abdoulaye NGom; and the steamy Shirley Jones, who reappears on the big screen sexier than you imagined David Cassidy’s mom could ever be.

A still from Grandma's Boy - click to enlarge

These two worthy films are so moving that Keelin and Maureen were unable to finish either of them. And, our enthusiasm for them was hardly dampened by the near deafening hum of our p-o-s DVD player, which completely drowned out the dialogue at times. This only put the movies on par with about 95% of our attempts at daytime conversation, where Juack, Maureen and I might as well not be able to hear the locals when they speak to us, because we can’t respond when they do. Thanks to Keelin, we can almost calculate bus fare and buy groceries, if you consider buying sour cream for our coffee getting it right.

Thanks to Juack for gently nudging us to give these two instant classics a chance, instead of the safer choices also in his backpack (e.g. The Godfather (I, II and III).

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Presidential Politics from abroad

In Bucerias at least, no one cares who becomes President of the United States of America. And the longer I am here, the less I think about it. Most notable since I have been here is the continuing collapse of the one-time front-runners Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton. Rudy was expected--he's a one trick pony, and I never thought just running as the Mayor of 9/11 was a winning strategy. John Edwards looked viable very early on, but quickly settled into third. To me, the most shocking collapse has been Hillary's. Just when she finally seemed to have gained momentum and buried the racial back and forth with the Obama campaign, Bill Clinton's remarks have resulted in a political firestorm.

The blowback from the racially charged statements may even be fatal. Teddy Kennedy, basically the head liberal, a few weeks ago brokered the truce between the two camps on using racial politics. Then Mount Bill erupted. And the ashes are still coming down. The Kennedy's were so outraged, they publicly endorsed Obama (with the exception of Kathleen), and Ted Kennedy is going to hit the campaign trail hard for his fellow Senator. Wow. Maybe things will swing back, but this blow looks serious. It's like the whole campaign on both sides is no longer something to actually care about; instead, we now watch it with various degrees of amusement and disgust.


How shocked can we be? After all, this is the same guy who sent this postcard to his mother when he was in college!




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A visit to San Pancho, Nayarit

click all images to enlarge


Not parking or traspassing! (Limpio=clean)


Greetings from San Pancho!



The travellers inspect murals depicting the history of San Francisco/San Pancho

San Pancho is a very small town, with a stunningly clean and tiny town center (a/k/a El Centro). There are several art galleries, mercados, the usual restaurants, wonderfully architected plazas, and good vibrations all around. There were few people and almost no tourists around. The town is full of interesting plantings, buildings, and sculpture. La playa is gorgeous and virtually empty. There is a ferocious surf. Today the lifeguard stand (a first for me--there are usually no lifeguards anywhere) flew a red flag, meaning "stay very close to shore." The lifeguards didn't even wear bathing suits...just jeans and t-shirts. They eschewed the tower and sat on their All-terrain vehicles. Unlike Bucerias, located on the Bay of Banderas (as is Puerto Vallarta), San Pancho is directly on the Pacific. The beaches, whole gorgeous, are not nearly so swimmer-friendly as the beaches a few miles south, where you curve into the bay.


a section of the San Pancho beach

Up the coast, in between patches of beach and jungle, are some smaller towns and villages. Some have been developed with "resorts" and "gated communities." Most, however, are smaller and more sleepy than Bucerias. Today we traveled by bus to San Pancho (its real name is San Francisco, although I've never heard it actually called that..it seems mainly to have that nomenclature solamente on maps). I've only been as far up as Sayulita (a town known for its surfing) before now.





Senor Daveed sneaks into the resort pool (note the film crew
in the background).

We walked along the nearly deserted beach about a mile to a resort butted up against a small mountain. There was a beachwear commercial being shot and we amused ourselves watching the cute men and women run through numerous takes. It looked like a major motion picture film crew.


Jack tries on a tourist hat

A few hours later, we strolled back up the beach, walked to the highway and caught the bus for the harrowing ride back to Bucerias, passing three cars and semis at a time, and generally staying away from the sheer cliff falling away to our right.


Mexican gentlemen playing dominoes in El Centro. You have to click on this photograph to enlarge, and see these faces that capture the heart and soul of this wonderful country.


Map of the Nayarit coastline

We went shopping at the fruit store and Mini Super, and came home to Casa Andrea. We drank Ron con tonic y limon and caught up on the news (where it looks like Bill Clinton has single-handedly removed the wheels from Hillary's campaign) as I stewed pork shoulder with oregano, comino, garlic, onions, salt, pepper, poblano, and sweet red chilis. Later I tossed in a pound of hominy and some fresh jugo de naranja, and we finished the day with posole, served with cabbage, radishes, limon (limes), radishes, more oregano and onions. Posole is more or less the Mexican version of Pho Bac.

Senor Daveed and Mo strike a winsome pose, in hopes
of being drafted for the swinsuit commercial

We sat at our table by the pool (where we've eaten dinner every night), and drank Pacificos and red wine, and finished off the camarone y chorizo y pollo paella I made last night. And then we settled in to watch The Godfather (or as we we extreme fans call it, One). Fifty minutes in, Keelin, Senor Daveed, and Mo all fell out. I shut it off (after all, I have seen it maybe 30 times) and wrote this. We'll resume it tomorrow night just after the assassination attempt on Don Corleone, as Michael makes his bones and escapes to Italy after murdering Virgil Solozzo and Captain McLuskey.
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