http://FunnyOrDie.com/m/5hhr

But it made me laugh out loud for real.

So what happens if the government shuts down? I mean, I know all those federal employees get sent home without a paycheck (except for Congresspeople – they get paid, you betcha!). But what about services? What effect, e.g., on air travel? Does the TSA go home, leaving us without security checks and molestation? How about the FAA? Air traffic controllers are federal employees; without them, planes can’t take off and land (at least not with any assurance of safety). So I guess air travel comes to a grinding halt. That’s sure to help the economy.

Digression: By the way, for everyone who says that The Gubmint can’t provide services effectively, I point to the FAA, which, on an annual budget of about $14 billion, oversees a $170 billion industry that moves more than 600 million passengers per year, with a better safety record than any other mode of transportation. I don’t think any private enterprise could manage any better; and if you privatized it, you wouldn’t get one company doing it, you’d get multiple companies competing, which would lead to all sorts of inconsistencies and conflicts. 

UA1703: Chicago Departure, this is United 1703. Any idea when we’ll get a runway?

ATC1: United 1703, I’m sorry, but United’s contract with ControlCo hasn’t been renewed yet. We aren’t authorized to give you clearance to take off.

ATC2: [breaking in] United 1703, this is Mandy with BigATC Inc. I can give you a one-time clearance for a low rate, no obligation. I just need a United Airlines corporate credit card and we’ll have you on your way to New York in just a few minutes. And be sure to ask for BigATC when you get into LaGuardia airspace!

No way that could lead to higher accident and fatality rates, right?

Anyway, I think there are probably dozens of ways we can’t predict in which a government shutdown will hurt people and hurt the economy. And don’t think the Republicans don’t realize it – they just don’t care. Their goal right now is to improve their chances at taking the White House next year. A bad economy is a boon to the party out of power, even if they caused it, because it’s much easier for the electorate to blame the current administration than to puzzle out who’s truly responsible for the problems.

Some people are comforted by the fact that the government shutdown in 1995 backfired so dramatically against the Republicans – the circumstances are pretty similar to today’s, with the GOP assuming midterm success gives them free reign to dictate everything in Washington, and most of the right seems to have total amnesia about the last time this happened (though I suppose part of that is because it was 16 years ago, when a good portion of the current crop of Tea Partiers were still in high school).

But I’m not one of those people who wishes for bad things to happen just so the “other side” finally understands how stupid they have been. The possible effects of a shutdown are pretty serious – I just found a few more in this post at the Harvard Political Review – and it would be much better to avoid them. On the other hand, I am not sure the shutdown effects are worse than the current Republican proposal from Paul Ryan – which includes, among other things, the ultimate dismantling of Medicare.

There is a small part of me that holds out hope that people of good conscience on both sides of the aisle will come out of the woodwork and slap some sense into the rest of Congress. But I’m not holding my breath. The next couple of months could be very bad times indeed.

http://www.epitonic.com/

A link to this site came to me in the email today, and I am profoundly glad it did. I’ve only poked around a tiny bit, but it seems to have a great deal of well-curated indie music available for streaming and download, interspersed with bloggy articles about… music. Seems well worth exploring further.

Um… yes. More, please. Much much more.

http://cavecitysink.tumblr.com/post/4167367840/this-movie-made-me-feel-bad-to…

I don’t think this particular reviewer can be accused of lacking a sense of humor. So I take this review as a fair indictment of Sucker Punch. I am less inclined to see it now.

I got a chance to see what is probably my favorite Chicago band last night. I Lost Control took the stage midway between The Vindits and The Moves. I’ve seen ILC a couple of times before, and they did not disappoint last night.

The Vindits opened up, and I have to say, it’s gotta be tough to be the first band onto a bar stage. The crowd is still at the beer-and-conversation level of focus and energy. Except for your buddies, you can assume everyone is there to see the other bands. (Case in point: me.) How do you move the crowd to the totally-into-the-music level? Well, the Vindits tried to do it with a really solid surf-guitar/swamp rockabilly sound. I thought they hit it musically, but something was missing. First, they played five or six songs, and every one was at about the same tempo. Nothing was exactly downtempo, but nothing made me sit up and take notice. A little variety would have increased the energy level. Secondly, the vocals just missed. I thought the lead singer’s voice – basic indie tenor – was mismatched. The could have used a Johnny Cash bass, or (as the music put me in mind of the Cramps) the late, lamented Lux Interior.

I’ll discuss ILC in a minute. They were, after all, the real reason I went. But first, the headliner: The Moves. I try to subscribe to the philosophy that if you can’t say something nice about someone… oh, who am I kidding? No I don’t. And really, I don’t have much nice to say about the Moves. I don’t have much that isn’t nice to say either, because frankly, I kind of tuned them out and we left partway through their set. The band played straight-up power rock, and the lead singer had that Geddy Lee/Dennis DeYoung ultra-high tenor thing going. Basically, they sounded like they were trying to be Journey, and that does nothing for me.

So, ILC. I will tell you right now, this band hits all the right buttons as far as I am concerned. You can hear influences from Joy Division (“Runaway Train,” “Denial,” and of course the band’s name) to Devo to Talking Heads to Bauhaus and to just about every other band I loved in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The lead singer, Stevo Anderson, has a baritone to bass-baritone sound reminiscent of Ian Curtis or Lou Reed (or the aforementioned Lux Interior). Complex beats and great bass and guitar work always get me, and these people have those in spades. Also, how can you not love a Chicago band that does a song about Jon Burge? My only complaint: I want new songs. They have a 5-track EP out (and more tracks to listen to at their website), and I will never get bored with the tracks that I know… but MOAR PLEEZ kthxbai.

Final verdict:

The Vindits: Close. Really solid music, but they need a little more energy and a different vocal sound.

The Moves: Meh. Not my thing.

I Lost Control: Excellent. Absolutely right on and deserving of all accolades. I hope to see great things for this band.

Yeah, OK. Guilty pleasure time.

Ca Plane Pour Moi. This song is a long-time favorite of mine, and this version wins a prize I can’t even come up with a name for: it’s Plastic Bertrand, the original singer of the song… backed by The Bosshoss, a German band that specializes in shit-kicking country&western covers of American pop and hip-hop songs.

So… that happened.  The Bosshoss also has a song — possibly an original — I can’t stop listening to, even though I don’t really know if I like it or not. More on that, perhaps, later.  Meanwhile, just go here and check out some of their other videos.

Not so clever after all, are you, disdainful hipster?

I guess the “Nigerian” scammers have finally realized that a lot of people are onto their scam (referred to as “419” or “Advance Fee Fraud”), and their revenues must be down or something, because today I got the email below, which explains how one scam victim was able to end-run the scammers and collect the money that was due him:

Attn: My Dear,

I am Mr. Tom Smith, I am a US citizen, 48 years Old. I reside here in New York City. My residential address is as follows. 164 Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031. I am one of those that took part in the Compensation in Nigeria many years ago and they refused to pay me, I had paid over $50,000 while in the US, trying to get my payment all to no avail.

So I decided to travel to WASHINGTON D.C with all my compensation documents, And I was directed by the ( F B I) Director to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams, who his a representative of the ( F B I ) and a member of the COMPENSATION AWARD COMMITTEE, currently in Nigeria.and I contacted him and he explained everything to me. He said whoever is contacting us through email are frauds.

He took me to the paying bank for the claim of my Compensation payment. Right now I am the happiest man on earth because I have received my compensation funds of $15 Million Us Dollars Moreover, Mr.Kelvin Williams, showed me the full information of those that are yet to receive their payments and I saw your name as one of the beneficiaries, and your email address, that is why I decided to email you to stop dealing with those people, they are not in posession of your funds, they are only making money off you. I will advise you to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams.

You have to contact him directly on this information below.

COMPENSATION AWARD HOUSE

Name : Mr.Kelvin Williams

Email: [something in the .kz TLD… because all FBI agent email is through Khazakstan, don’tcha know?]

You really have to stop dealing with those people that are contacting you and telling you that your fund is with them, it is not in anyway with them, they are only taking advantage of you and they will dry you up until you have nothing.

The only money I paid after I met Mr.Kelvin Williams was just $390 for the paper works, take note of that.

Once again stop contacting those people, I will advise you to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams so that he can help you to Deliver your fund instead of dealing with those liars that will be turning you around asking for different kind of money to complete your transaction.

Thank You and Be Blessed.

Mr.Tom Smith

164 Convent Avenue New York,

NY 10031.

It was addressed to “Attn: My Dear” because I’m sure I had a deep, meaningful relationship with Mr. Smith, that I just can’t recall at the moment. And now at last, I’m going to collect on that big payday.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/04/lami-louis-201104

And I think Gouty Buffalo will be the name of my Hank Williams Jr. cover band.