Double your Bacon fun, Flashmob Hammertime, and North Korea

Jun 9, 2009 by Dan Taylor    5 Comments    Posted under: News

Since neither of these three topics could really deserve an entire post of their own (at least not with a heavy does of over embellishmen, which eventually leads to, STFU), I’m gonna lump perhaps the three most random topics together in one here.  First up: Bacon.

Who doesn’t love bacon?  Ok, vegans and vegitarians aside.  Let me rephrase, what omnivor doesn’t love bacon?  Smell it yet?  Let me say it one more time: Bacon.  Yum.  I’m not even sure where my affinity for bacon comes from, or any one else’s for that matter.  If you actually have a think about what bacon is, and what gives it it’s flavor.  Well, umm….yeah, it’s kinda disgusting.  Perhaps the reason bacon brings a smile to just about everyone’s face is what bacon signifies.  I believe bacon to be one of the very true, core, roots comfort foods.  Think about all your associations with bacon.  Got a bad one?  Me neither.  Bacon is what mom made on sunday mornings.  Bacon is what you have on the side at that greasy spoon diner where the waitress comes by every 10 minutes and doesn’t ask, she just refills your coffee.  Now that’s good ol’ fashioned Americana.  Bacon.  Alternatively, as my friend Mr. Winemaker reminds me, bacon can also be enjoyed best on fresh ass (do NOT click here if you’re at work or easily offended).

Apparently the folks over at Boca Java think bacon is scrumdidilyumptious as well, as I recently discovered their Boca Java’s Maple Bacon Breakfast Roast. Yes,you read that correctly.  No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  I don’t think I could write the description any better myself,

Reminiscent of a hearty Saturday morning breakfast around the table, this sweet, savory coffee delights the senses with the smell and taste of home! Maple Bacon Morning has a base that’s full-bodied and complex, and it’s a delicious way to rise when the rooster crows!

…and you know they wanted to write ‘when the cock crows’, but the legal department ix-nayed it.

But wait…there’s more bacon in store!

If Maple Bacon Morning blend didn’t get your motor running, how about having a juicy slice of bacon right in front of your eyes at every website you visit throughout the day?  Thanks to bacolicio.us you now can!  A rather, yet genious idea, the bacolicio.us guys have simply written a script that places a floating .png image of bacon over any website you want.

Personally, I think that turnthescrew looks greatly improved with a slab of freshly sizzled bacon smack dab in the middle of the articles.  Suggestion – use bacolicio.us to freak you co-worker out by placing a slab of piggily goodness over his/her blog, and/or I’m sure the boss man would LOVE to see that image.  Maybe a screenshot and intercompany email?  Errr…well, maybe on your last day.

Stop – Hammertime!

Because I could find no words to describe the sheer awesomeness of this video, I’ll let it speak for itself:

Get ‘em while they’re hot – real deal North Korean propaganda for sale.  In the U.S.?

And in perhaps the most ‘ummm…WTF?’ news I came across today, it appears that the government of North Korea is deriving income from California based personalized gift seller CafePress.com.  Who knew Kim Jong Il had such artistic talent?

It appears as though the Korean Friendship Association, an official state run organization dedicated to, “Defending the independence and socialist construction” of North Korea, has a CafePress shop where they sell the normal CafePress offerings (Mousepads, Tshirts, Hoodies, Trucker Hats, etc.), all carrying propaganda imagery glorifying the government.  Remember, this is the government that starves their people, imprisions American journalists, and has recently stepped up their desire to play with the big boys and their nukes.

According to the U.S. Treasury Department, sanctions prohibit American companies from importing “goods of North Korean origin … into the United States either directly or through third countries, without prior notification to and approval of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.”  Ok, due to the nature of CafePress’s business, and how they operate, it’s clear that the goods are not coming directly from North Korea.  However, the same government agency also states that American businesses are bared “from engagin in transfers from the Government of North Korea.”  Which begs the question – if these items are selling on CafePress, a business that takes a cut from profits generated, where’s the rest of the cash going?

Mediabistro sent an email over to CafePress asking for the low down, they got a response from the company’s PR Director Marc Cowlin.  In his email Mr. Cowlin explains, “I can confirm that checks are not sent to North Korea or any government agency.”  Cowlin also responded to requests from WebNewser stating that he’d “forwarded the emails on to the owner of the [CafePress] shop”, thanked them for bringing the matter to his attention, and added, “we’ve sent the information on to our content usage team for review — they will determine if it is in violation of our policies or law.”

Who knows, maybe CafePress is simply sending a check to an unassuming middleman that is then passing the funds on to Kim Jong Il’s regime?  Perhaps, but if these items are turning any sort of profit, something tells me that CafePress may or may not have simply turned a blind eye.  You be the judge.

MTV/Viacom support ‘No to Prop 8’

Oct 25, 2008 by Dan Taylor    2 Comments    Posted under: News

MTV Networks/Viacom joined the growing number of businesses that have stood to be counted in the war against California Proposition 8.  The company has officially joined the Equality Business Advisory Council to show their opposition to Prop 8.  California Proposition 8 stands to eliminate the fundamental right of same-sex couples to legally marry in the State of California, by amending the State Constitution.

“On November 4th, Californians have the unique opportunity to go to the polls and stand up for what makes this a great country and a free society inclusivity, freedom and respect for all. Proposition 8 is antithetical to those principles and a vote for ignorance, hatred and inequality,” said Judy McGrath, Chairman and CEO, MTV Networks. “MTV Networks and the Equality Business Advisory Council urge all Californian voters to send the right message and uphold the rights of same-sex couples in California, by voting ‘NO’ on Prop 8 on Election Day.”

MTV’s certainly not in this alone, with other prominent businesses and firms including PG&E, Levi Strauss & Co., Google, Sweet, the Morgan Hotel Group, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, California Black Chamber of Commerce, San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, Valley Industry and Commerce Association, and the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce have thrown their support behind the Council.

“We are thrilled to welcome MTV Networks/Viacom as one of a growing number of national and California businesses leaders that have become part the NO on Prop 8′s Equality Business Advisory Council,” said Geoff Kors, NO on Prop 8 Executive Committee Member.

For more info about Prop 8, and a full list of committed ‘NO’ voters, visit www.noonprop8.com.

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House of Reps pushing for Legal Pot

Jul 31, 2008 by Dan Taylor    17 Comments    Posted under: News

US House of Representatives Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts has recently submitted a bill that could seriously reduce the severity of personal marijuana use.

House Resolution 5843 titled the “Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2008” would set out to stop the federal persecution of responsible marijuana smokers in the US.  Frank’s bill proposes that any American carrying less than 100 grams would not be charged with a crime.

Frank’s reasoning comes from the fact that current US marijuana laws place undue burdens on already over taxed law enforcement resources, punish American doctors that prescribe marijuana for medical use, and unfairly target and affect African Americans.

“The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business,” Frank said on Capitol Hill. “I don’t think it is the government’s business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.”

Frank and his supporters did however make the message loud and clear that he is not proposing abuse of marijuana, but only the use would be decriminalized.  Abuse would still be on the books.

According to DEA figures, people that are charged with marijuana possession are rarely incarcerated, but rather normally receive a fine.  The White House Office of National Drug Control and the DEA have long opposed the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes or other.  Currently classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, marijuana technically shares the category with Heroin,  MDMA (Ecstasy), Psilocybin (Magic) mushrooms, and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD).

“Smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science — it is not medicine and it is not safe,” the DEA states on its Web site. “Legalization of marijuana, no matter how it begins, will come at the expense of our children and public safety. It will create dependency and treatment issues, and open the door to use of other drugs, impaired health, delinquent behavior, and drugged drivers.”

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) spokeman Allen St. Pierre compared Frank’s proposal to the current laws pertaining to alcohol consumption.  “Alcohol use is permitted, and the government focuses its law enforcement efforts on those who abuse alcohol or drive under its influence,” St. Pierre said, “We do not arrest and jail responsible alcohol drinkers.”

St. Pierre also added, “There have been 20 million marijuana-related arrests since 1965, he said, and 11 million since 1990, and every 38 seconds, a marijuana smoker is arrested.”

Rob Kampia, the director of the Marijuana Policy Project quoted numbers that place all marijuana related arrests outnumber arrests for “all violent crimes combined.”  The numbers don’t lie.  What this means is that law enforcement officials are spending a highly disproportionate amount of time chasing nonviolent criminals.

“Ending arrests is the key to marijuana policy reform,” he said.

The Rep. from Mass is finding support from fellow democrats on this bill.  William Lacy Clay, D-Missouri and Barbara Lee, D-California add that in addition to targeting nonviolent offenders, US marijuana laws unfairly target African Americans.

Clay commented that he does not condone marijuana use, but is also opposed millions of American tax payer dollars being spent on what he feels is an “arcane holdover from a phony war on drugs that is filling up our prisons, especially with people of color.”

Clay continued, “too many drug enforcement resources are being dedicated to incarcerating nonviolent drugs users, and not enough is being done to stop the trafficking of narcotics into the United States.”
Bill Piper of the Drug Policy Alliance Network states, “Being arrested is not the American marijuana smoker’s only concern.  Those found guilty of marijuana use can lose their jobs, financial aid for college, their food stamp and welfare benefits, or their low-cost housing.”

“The US stance on marijuana is one of the most destructive justice policies in America today.”

12 of 50 US States have in one way or another legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes.  Barbara Lee, D-California says that the current state of affairs is “inhumane” and “immoral”.  Lee says that she has a number of constituents that are regularly harassed or arrested for using or cultivating marijuana for medical purposes.  The catch 22 comes into play when the federal government becomes involved.  In California it is legal to use and cultivate medical marijuana, when it is illegal to use and cultivate medical marijuana in the United States, as the federal government gives no medical value to the substance.

Not to leave the Republicans out in the cold, Frank did use his time at the podium to take a shot at the other side of the isle.  “I find it strange that those who support limited government want to criminalize marijuana.”

When questioned whether the resolution’s passage would change his personal behavior, Frank responded, “I do obey every law I vote for” but quickly said he did not use marijuana, nor does he encourage it.

“I smoke cigars. I don’t think other people should do that. If young people ask me, I would advise them not to do it,” he said.

Watch CNN’s coverage of Barney Frank and HR 5843.