know your atheists

If you were confronted with an atheist (god forbid) in real life, how could you be certain of the danger you faced? Here's a handy graphic to commit to memory. Keep this in mind when you are out on the streets and surrounded by suspected atheists.

Happy non-denominational-winter-solsticish-probably-stolen-from-the-pagans-holiday, everyone!

totally forgot:

We got written up in Westword yesterday, with a (sad, aimless, wandering) interview with yours truly. Enjoy!

Best quote ever:

"[I'm] a kind of ADD child of the artistic world."



That's me.

festivus is here!

Time for the airing of the grievances!

I expect there to be a lot of grievances after I play at Vintage tonight. (I'm playing about a half-hour of guitar prior to the plays, of which mine is the last one to be performed!

Come down if you're able. Info follows.

Contact Vintage here or at phone below.

“A Very Dark Holiday Playwright Festivus”

Vintage Theatre invites you to join their holiday playwright festival of original one-act plays from Colorado playwrights.

SILENT NIGHT -by Jeffrey Neuman

directed by Linda Orr

—-

‘TIS THE SEASON -by Linda Berry

directed by Luke A. Terry

—

INTIMATE INFORMATION – by Frank A. Oteri

directed by Stephen Paulding

—

RINGING IT IN -by Laura Coe

directed by Stephanie Prugh

—

BORED TO DEATH – by Mark Sbani

directed by Frank A. Oteri

—

FAMILY BUSINESS – by Kurt Brighton

directed by Nita Froelich
Tuesday, December 21 – Friday, December 31, 2010
evening performances @ 7:30 – matinee performances @ 2:30
Tickets only $15

cthulu claus

Now why didn't I think of this concept for the Festivus? Next year, maybe.

via

festivus is upon us

Festivus is coming, y'all, and it's gonna be good.

I went to the final dress for Vintage Theatre's 'A Very Dark Holiday Playwright Festivus' last night, and it is really coming along. They are presenting six short pieces, two of which are monologues (both awesome, btw) and the rest short one-acts, all dark, all themed on the holidays. Going from the last time I saw the works read, which was the audition, last night's rehearsal was amazing. All the actors and the plays have come leaps and bounds, and the directors and casts have put in a ton of work, and it shows.

My play of course was the main reason I was there, and the cast has really done some amazing things with my words and ideas. It's really interesting to see how the words I wrote--and heard in my head in a certain way, just automatically assuming a certain phrasing--get twisted and bent and elevated and turned sideways by another person's take on them. I love how these guys make me think of my own words in a different way than I ever imagined. (This playwright business layers a whole new level onto my theatre experience...hmmm...)

Anyway, congrats to Nita Froelich who is directing my play, 'The Family Business,' and to the whole cast for working very hard to make my weird-ass little creeper of a show work better than I could have imagined. I can't wait to see it played before an audience, to see how people react.

Speaking of which, I will be playing guitar during the pre-show this coming Thursday night, then again next Thursday the 30th, so if you haven't gotten tickets yet, come down and see me. I'd love to hear opinions on my piece, and sing ya a purty song. My understanding is that opening has already sold out, and we should have a short brief coming out in Westword this Thursday, so tickets might go pretty quickly, so order soon.

Hope to see you there!

Info follows--contact Vintage here.

“A Very Dark Holiday Playwright Festivus”

Vintage Theatre invites you to join their holiday playwright festival of original one-act plays from Colorado playwrights.

SILENT NIGHT -by Jeffrey Neuman

directed by Linda Orr

—-

‘TIS THE SEASON -by Linda Berry

directed by Luke A. Terry

—

INTIMATE INFORMATION – by Frank A. Oteri

directed by Stephen Paulding

—

RINGING IT IN -by Laura Coe

directed by Stephanie Prugh

—

BORED TO DEATH – by Mark Sbani

directed by Frank A. Oteri

—

FAMILY BUSINESS – by Kurt Brighton

directed by Nita Froelich
Tuesday, December 21 – Friday, December 31, 2010
evening performances @ 7:30 – matinee performances @ 2:30
Tickets only $15

hee hee

wow

Prescient words from FDR.

The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt

Welcome to your new country.

self-fulfilling prophecy

Does it occur to anyone else that our dropping standards in education, along with a nascent, out of the closet 'proud to be a dumbass' movement (as opposed to a pointy-headed elite librul) benefits the party that works hardest to slash education funding, thus presumably making people dumber?

This story highlights a recent poll that shows that 40 percent of Americans still believe in creationism.

A new Gallup poll, released Dec. 17, reveals that 40 percent of Americans still believe that humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years. This number is slightly down from a previous high of 47 percent in 1993 and 1999.

So, as education gets worse due to budget cuts and privatization--and thus presumably, people become less able to apply critical thinking skills--media conglomerates grow stronger, and more blatant about telling outright lies that serve the corporations that own them, demagogues and criminals become more audacious in their outright thievery of democracy, not to mention the taxpayers' dollars.

Sounds like a great plan.

tobias funke --

-- analrapist.


Of course, it's pronounced uh-NAL-ruh-pist. A combination of analyst and therapist.

Still. I miss Arrested Development.

uh...yeah...

Memo to the Vatican's social director: shirtless, ripped, male acrobats performing for the pope in the Vatican might send the wrong message.



I like how around the 1:00 mark, there's a close-up on Benedict's face and his eyes slowly scan low to high as he takes in the entire, er, package. Jesus, dude.

But hey, at least they left the altarboys alone for that brief period.

another TSA post

Ha. I've had these on the comp for a few weeks; been meaning to get them up here.

the cry-baby party

Here's a great post from Open Left detailing the cognitive dissonance not to mention sheer mad-hatter illogical nature of the arguments for supporting the tax-break giveaway for the rich that Obama has successfully 'negotiated' (read: bent over for) with the Republicans.

Whenever you hear anyone talking about the Dems as the irresponsible tax-and-spend party, remind them of this.



Another handy-dandy chart to keep in mind is this one, detailing how the U.S. debt has changed under various presidents. Whole lotta red growth there, whole lotte blue reduction. Of course, this doesn't take into account that democratic presidents were largely forced to reduce the debt, i.e. clean up the messes left behind by their irresponsible republican predecessors. However it does explode the myth that republicans are the daddy party of fiscal responsibility.



Speaking of which, notice how quiet the deficit hysteria of a month ago has gotten? At least until the tax giveaway for the rich is passed, complete with its $900 billion price tag that will be tacked onto the deficit. Then we can get back to talking about austerity--the kind placed on the backs of the lower and middle class. And watch for Social Security reform (read: privatization) to become a more widely discussed topic again soon too.

Thanks Obama! More change than we can afford to believe in.

atheist's one commandment

Hellelujah and praise no one.

There was a show (something on adult swim maybe?) where they did a riff on Moses coming down the mountain with the commandments. After he announces this, a wag asks, 'Is there anything in there about not pushing your religion on other people?'

Just saying. God forgot to include that one and the above.

via

sadly, a little close to home

A little on the nose, no?

via

tax cut...deal?

Deal for whom?



It's becoming harder and harder to see Obama's White House as simply run by bad negotiators, or that they are babes in the woods dealing with the Republican wolves and getting duped over and over again. Because it's starting to look like they end up with what they wanted all along.

It's just not what we wanted when we elected him.

This graph shows who benefits from Democratic tax proposals (left) Republicans (center) and the new proposal Obama hammered out with Republicans (but not Democrats, and apparently there is no room to negotiate any more changes--except with Republicans.)

Looking forward to a bunch of teabagger protests over the nearly $900 billion this would add to the deficit.

But I won't hold my breath.
More on this later.