¡El Brusco!

Completely Moved to VOX

2008-07-09T19:34:00.002-05:00

If you have to have a direct bookmark, you may now read my infrequent posts at

http://elbrusco.vox.com/

It's not any better, though. Sorry.

Two Words: Sunflower Starfish

2007-04-12T19:37:00.000-05:00

Gotta love Planet Earth. Amazing footage.

Bill Clinton Made You A Mix Tape

2007-04-12T19:30:00.000-05:00

Proceeds support The Clinton Center in Li'l Rock.

It's a good mix. I'm convinced he's sincerely sorry and it won't happen again.

Mr. Turdblossom, Your Students

2007-03-25T19:27:00.000-05:00

Students from Janesville, WI met for a candid and wide-ranging discussion with Karl Rove this week. Rove was not under oath, and no transcript is available. And no C-SPAN either, apparently. I hope Karl is holding out for "Inside the Actors' Studio." I'd love to hear him answer the Proust questionnaire.

Hot Tub Tom Misquotes Himself

2007-03-22T20:25:00.001-05:00

There sure has been a lot of Tom DeLay's smug-ass talking head popping up on TV during his recent book tour. Check out this interesting bit where he denies writing that fellow R-Texas asshole Penis Navey was "drunk with power."

I thought only T.O. could misquote himself in his autobiography.

Crazy Ray 1931-2007

2007-03-18T16:05:00.000-05:00

I was saddened by the loss of Dallas Cowboys mascot Wilford "Crazy Ray" Jones this weekend. You can see him here with the official mascot Rowdy. Rowdy looks a little too much like George W. Bush (at least as drawn by Ben Sargent) for me. It's always gonna be Crazy Ray, although as an old-time 'Pokes fan, I still think of him as Whistlin' Ray. The Cowboys never paid him, but they gave him reserved parking at Texas Stadium. Surely, Jerry Jones can find a place for a statue of Ray in the Cowboys massive new Arlington stadium somewhere.

Donations to Ray's family can be made here.

Feels Like The Last Time

2007-03-16T21:30:00.000-05:00

Boston singer Brad Delp, a lonely soul, dead by his own hand and two of his grills. So sad, yet so stunning for sheer bizarre creativity.

Let's Get Copernicus!

2007-02-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

When Molly Ivins called the Texas Legislature "The national laboratory for bad ideas," she had public servants like Rep. Warren Chisum (R-Pampa) in mind. But now we know that some of those ideas are imported from elsewhere. Especially some of the really exceptional ones.

Last week, Chisum circulated this helpful memorandum to his colleagues (page one and page two, helpfully provided by the fine folks at The Austin Chronicle). It's copied from Georgia State Rep Ben Bridges who originally circulated a memo to his colleagues that references the website Fixed Earth. You've got to hand it to these creationists: they recognize that Charles Darwin and his dangerous Origin of Species are just symptoms of the vast Jewish/Copernican conspiracy (see "Kabbalist 'Superstring' Physics") designed to return the ancient Pharisees to rightful prominence.

Rep. Chisum is the second-most powerful member of the Texas House behind Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland). Sleep well, fellow Texans.

Every One's a Winner, Babe...

2007-02-04T14:40:00.000-06:00

As a kid growing up in El Paso in the 70s, I used to take the city bus downtown a lot before I had my license. One afternoon, I saw a woman who appeared to be very old carrying three large bags from one of the many "por libra" (per pound) used clothing stores that line the streets of downtown El Paso. As she boarded the red bus that would take her back to Ciudad Juarez, I noticed she was wearing an "I'm With Stupid" t-shirt. I'd be willing to bet she did not speak English, much less have any idea what the writing on her shirt meant. Lots of people have wonderful sites devoted to the joy that non-English speaking people get from wearing shirts with English on them. But I was glad to hear about Reebok and the NFL making sure that whoever loses this year's Super Bowl will live as winners in a land far, far away.

Molly Ivins 1944-2007

2007-02-03T10:44:00.000-06:00

Stupid, stupid cancer! It has robbed us all of a beautiful woman who wrote like a dream, a journalist who used her bounty of humor to speak the truth. And a true Austin celebrity, especially in our Travis Heights/Bouldin axis of South Austin.

You can't find a better tribute to Molly than what her friends at The Texas Observer have on their website.

Who's gonna fill her shoes? I am bereft.

Um, Aren't We Fighting A War Or Something?

2007-01-26T17:24:00.001-06:00

Doing my usual scan of the news-channel talking head shows last night, I noticed at least two shows dealing with the pressing issue of how mean the American Idol judges have been this season. If you can watch this clip all the way through, The ghost of Biggie Smalls will appear behind you the next time you look in a mirror. He will rightly claim your soul.

And God Put These Fossils Here To Test Your Faith...

2007-01-24T18:53:00.000-06:00

So, if you ask a park ranger at the Grand Canyon what the geological age of the canyon is, the ranger is supposed to answer, "no comment."

Worst Radio Contest EVER!

2007-01-17T16:56:00.000-06:00

When wacky morning zoo radio shows go bad, the results can be deadly. In this case, you've probably heard about the death of Jennifer Strange, a mother of three who wanted to win the prize for her kids.

The clowns at KDND-FM Sacramento's Morning Rave who thought up and broadcast the "Hold Your Wee For a Wii" contest were fired today. And the Sacramento County Sheriff and DA's Office considering criminal manslaughter charges.

Anyway, here is the tragic audio. Listen to how these guys spew the medical expertise and talk about the releases.

Needless to say, Jennifer didn't make it to the Justin Timberlake concert.

You Don't Need It, But You Want It Anyway

2007-01-09T16:17:00.000-06:00

Times are changing at Apple, Inc., formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc.

Why limit yourself to computers, when you can make stuff like the iPhone announced this morning at MacWorld SF?

My pockets feel lighter already.

The Hot Seat

2007-01-01T16:10:00.000-06:00

Coaches, it's the season for bowls and playoffs. For some of you, it's time to update the resume for the new year. For those not quite out the door, you're as little as one blown point spread away. It's time to get to know the good folks at redshirted.com, where you can find some of the most popular fire(yournamehere).com domains parked and ready for use.

Is This The Best Footage Available?

2006-12-30T23:16:00.001-06:00


Saddam Hussein goes down swinging.

Nothing to See Here. Move Along.

2006-12-30T09:22:00.000-06:00

Apple investigates itself - and finds nothing wrong. What a surprise! And, as if by magic, Apple stock abruptly ends a week-long fire sale.

Earnings restated in a new SEC filing. This is interesting reading for those who like to read uninteresting stuff. Like me.

As an original owner of an original 128 Kb 1984 Macintosh and a guy who depends on the Mac OS for a great deal of my income, I must disclose that I am a bit biased toward Steve Jobs. Naturally, I was glad to see him beat his rare pancreatic cancer, and I'm glad he's staying out of jail.

Now we can get on to more important topics. Like when will the Adobe Creative Suite be released in a Universal Binary. Oh yeah! Bring on 2007!

They're Gassy!

2006-12-30T09:18:00.001-06:00

The Seeds doing their one hit "Pushin' Too Hard." Can anyone identify this show?
Thanks to Steve from Utley for his tireless mining for garage gold on YouTube

What Would Pete Rozelle Do?

2006-12-16T09:48:00.000-06:00

Dear NFL:

I am a white male, age 42, married, no kids, professional, self-employed, small-business owner with a decent income.

I watch football on TV, specifically NFL games and most specifically the Dallas Cowboys.

I purchase trucks, computers, razor blades, beer, salty snacks, pharmaceuticals, telecom services and just about everything else advertised during NFL broadcasts, except for joining the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. I am part of a very desirable demographic for advertisers.

Tonight, I will not be exposed to any of your advertisers' product pitches because I will be listening to the Dallas Cowboys-Atlanta Falcons game on the radio. Or maybe not if there's something better on TV.

And it's all because you have chosen to hold me and the rest of my sought-after Men 18-54 advertising demographic up as a bargaining chip in your fight with Time-Warner Cable, my local provider.

Let's face facts: by choosing to be intractable with each other, both the NFL and Time-Warner have disrespected the audience. And the audience is your product that you sell to your advertisers. By prolonging this impasse, you are in effect attacking your future earnings.

Believe me, I'm plenty upset with Time-Warner, too, and I've let them know about it. But the NFL has the most at stake with your three year-old NFL Network. The NFL became the most popular, highest-rated televised sport in the USA by understanding the importance of reaching my demographic.

Do you really want to mess that up?

I would advise you to stop your pissing match, work this out right away, and seek a compromise. Your advertisers want me and my cohorts to buy their stuff.

Happy Chanuka,

El Brusco

The Dictator's Haberdasher

2006-12-10T19:04:00.000-06:00

If you want to wear a hat like this, you've got to break a few eggs.

He's Running for President! And He's Hispanic! No, Really!

2006-12-07T21:07:00.000-06:00

He's running! No, wait, he's not running...yet!

If we have to have politicians, I say that they should be New Mexico politicians.

Wouldn't he do better at the polls with a vowel at the end of his name, though? Señor Richardson-o, perhaps?

Yet Another AWESOME CNN Headline

2006-12-01T23:21:00.000-06:00

I don't know what this story will be headlined by the time you see it but for most of the evening it has read:

High court takes 'Bong Hits for Jesus' case

That's actually the first URL I've seen with the identifier "scotus.bonghits" in it, now that you mention it.

Good to see Ken Starr back in action, though.

High court. Good one.

Man on the Moon

2006-11-29T20:57:00.001-06:00

All Michael Richards, all week. And nobody mentions this golden moment of utter shit-headedness from back in the day.

I want me a silk tour jacket like Jack Burns.

If you are reading this post, that means Blogger and YouTube are working together again, the way it oughta be.

Your Good Dog, Richard

2006-11-22T21:15:00.000-06:00

Whenever I think of Robert Altman, I think of this uncharacteristic movie. The always amazing Phillip Baker Hall plays Nixon on the eve of his resignation. He pulls out his revolver, a bottle of Chivas, and his favorite tape recorder and rambles off a letter to his late mother. Or his last will and testament. Or a suicide note. It's really hard to say.

Essentially, this is a filmed one-man show, and as such it lacks all the stuff we expect from Altman as far as densely-layered dialogue and soundtrack. But there's just a great interplay between camera and the language that it really takes the often stagy monologue to a place that's quite interesting. It's hard for me to imagine these lines sounding better on a stage.

Of course, if you're looking for a great obscure Altman film, it's hard to go wrong. Sad to lose another American original. Stupid cancer.

Another Hilda Plug

2006-11-22T19:00:00.000-06:00

I plan to get one, as usual, for 2007. Don't you want one too?