Completely Moved to VOX

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

Gotta love Planet Earth. Amazing footage.

Bill Clinton Made You A Mix Tape

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

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

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

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

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!

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.