Artist Raymond Pettibon 'The Art of Punk' Documentary

I picked up this flyer below at Zed's Records in Long Beach, about 1980.

The LAPD broke up the gig. All the streets were blocked off and I ran with buddy Skatemaster Tate like my life depended on it. It was a total riot. Skate legend Steve Alba talks about it here, "Baces Hall Riot ... Film at 11!"

Well, it turns out there's a new documentary on the work of Raymond Pettibon, the artist of the iconic Black Flag flyers. At LAT, "MOCAtv releases new Black Flag/Raymond Pettibon doc on punk art." Also, "WATCH ‘THE ART OF PUNK’ DOCUMENTARY ON BLACK FLAG’S ICONIC LOGO AND ARTWORK."

And see Bryan Ray Turcotte, "PRETTY MUCH EVERY SINGLE BLACK FLAG FLYER DESIGNED BY RAYMOND PETTIBON."

Facebook Introduces Hashtags

If you can't 'em join 'em.

At WSJ, "Facebook Unveils Hashtags for Real-Time Public Conversations."

Also at the Verge, "Facebook adds hashtag support starting today," and "Who owns the hashtag? (It isn’t Twitter)."

And here's the announcement at Facebook, "Public Conversations on Facebook":

Every day, hundreds of millions of people use Facebook to share their thoughts on big moments happening all around them. Whether it’s talking about a favorite television show, cheering on a hometown sports team or engaging with friends during a breaking news event—people on Facebook connect with their friends about what’s taking place all over the world.

During primetime television alone, there are between 88 and 100 million Americans engaged on Facebook - roughly a Super Bowl-sized audience every single night. The recent "Red Wedding" episode of Game of Thrones, received over 1.5 million mentions on Facebook, representing a significant portion of the 5.2 million people who watched the show. And this year's Oscars buzz reached an all-time high on Facebook with over 66.5 million interactions, including likes, comments, and posts.

To date, there has not been a simple way to see the larger view of what's happening or what people are talking about.

To bring these conversations more to the forefront, we will be rolling out a series of features that surface some of the interesting discussions people are having about public events, people, and topics. As a first step, we are beginning to roll out hashtags on Facebook.

RTWT.

Facebook's getting its clock cleaned. All the fancy PR can't mask this social media cluster-k.

Here's That Viral Taylor Chapman Dunkin' Donuts YouTube Rant

Watch it at the link.

And see the Hollywood Gossip, "Taylor Chapman Dunkin' Donuts Rant Goes Viral, is Really Disturbing."

And at the Smoking Gun, "Meet the Horrible Florida Woman Who Filmed Herself Berating Dunkin' Donuts Workers."

Colorado Wildfires

At Twitchy, "#BlackForestFire consumes 400 acres, up to 60 homes in Colorado [pics, video]; Update: 2,500 homes evacuated; Update: 8,000 acres, 0 containment."

And at Michelle's, "Colorado is on fire again; scrambling for tankers."

Jan Cooper, 72, Holds Off Would-Be Robber With .357 Magnum

She's an Orange County local!

At Pat Dollard's, "‘Back Up, You Son of a Bitch!’: 72-Year-Old Anaheim Woman Scares Off Burglar By Shooting at Him."

From the Protests at Taksim Square

Here's the Guardian's live blog, "Turkey: Erdoğan clears Taksim Square – live reaction."

And video of the tear gas attacks on protesters, at Blazing Cat Fur, "Now that's a lot of tear gas!"

Background at the New York Times, "Turkish Police and Protesters Clash in Square":

For Mr. Erdogan, the smoldering violence represents his worst political crisis since coming to power a decade ago. It also highlights the kind of class politics that have divided society, with his conservative religious followers strongly supporting his position. But his political base — a majority — has not protected the economy, which is suffering as the currency loses value and the cost of borrowing rises.

Analysts now worry that Mr. Erdogan, instead of finding a way out of the crisis, has only made it worse by hardening divisions among his constituents, and by digging in. Three people have been killed and at least 4,947 injured in the violence.

“The leaders may be searching for a way out of the deadlock,” wrote Melih Asik, a columnist in Milliyet, a centrist newspaper. “However, has inciting one half of the people against the other half ever been a remedy for overcoming such a crisis? If limitless anger does not give way to common sense, Turkey will have a very difficult job ahead.”

Mr. Erdogan, in rally after rally over the weekend, sought to energize the conservative masses who propelled him to power by invoking his personal history as an Islamist leader opposed to the old secular state and its undemocratic nature. His supporters represent a social class that was previously marginalized, and Mr. Erdogan has used his speeches to play on those class resentments.

More at Telegraph UK, "Clashes in Turkey."

Chloe McCardel to Attempt Cuba to Florida Swim Without Shark Cage

She's generating a lot of attention.

See, "Australian Chloe McCardel begins Cuba-Florida swim."

Cries of Racism Following Interracial Cheerios Advertisement

Interracial families are just no big deal. I have one. And incidents of racism are pretty much non-existent in my experience.

But we're talking about the Cheerios ad on YouTube, and, well, you know how that'll work out online. You've got all of the Nazi keyboard commandoes on the attack. And that's not new.

In any case, at AdWeek, "It's 2013, and People Are Still Getting Worked Up About Interracial Couples in Ads Cheerios spot gets cheers and jeers."

Also at London's Daily Mail, "'We are part of the face of America': bi-racial parents of girl in Cheerios ad that sparked torrid racist abuse stand up to tide of hate."

#DBacks and #Dodgers Brawl: Six Ejected After Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke Beaned by Pitches

I watching the game.

Totally old school.

At LAT, "Dodgers win after head-banger brawl."

Read it at the link.

Also, "Dodgers-Diamondbacks brawl is not some simple head game."

Plus, a video from MLB, and on Twitter.

'Night Stalker' Richard Ramirez Should Have Fried

Or f-king choked, even though California no longer uses the gas chamber.

From the letters to the editor, at the Los Angeles Times, "Letters: Ramirez's non-execution an injustice":

Re "'Night Stalker' lived violently, dies in his hospital bed," June 8.

The fact that serial killer Richard Ramirez was able to die of natural causes while on California's death row shows the injustice of our justice system. His victims suffered. Many died.

Ramirez's living all these years while those he killed laid in graves was wrong. His being able to live off a system because of rights and laws is a slap in the face to everyone he hurt. After all, his victims were not protected like he was.

Ramirez was guilty, and nothing changed that over time. He should have been executed.

George Vreeland Hill
Beverly Hills

I tweeted so much when I first heard the news.

From the killer's Wikipedia page: "At the time of his death, Ramirez had been on death row for more than 23 years, awaiting execution by the state of California."

Edward Snowden's Girlfriend Feels 'Lost and Alone'

This is one of those "Are you f-king kidding me?" moments.

At Telegraph UK, "Edward Snowden's girlfriend Lindsay Mills 'lost and alone' after whistleblower flees to Hong Kong":

The glamorous dancer girlfriend of NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden has revealed her devastation at his decision to go on the run without her.

Lindsay Mills, 28, who described her boyfriend as "E" and her "man of mystery", said: "My world has opened and closed all at once. Leaving me lost at sea without a compass."

Writing on her blog, she said: "As I type this on my tear-streaked keyboard I’m reflecting on all the faces that have graced my path. The ones I laughed with. The ones I’ve held. The one I’ve grown to love the most. And the ones I never got to bid adieu. But sometimes life doesn’t afford proper goodbyes."

On her Facebook page Miss Mills posted a picture of the sun setting over the ocean but did not reveal her whereabouts. There was no sign of her at the rented three bedroom home in Waipahu, Hawaii that the couple had shared for several months, and moved out of on May 1.

In the extensive blog called "L's Journey," Miss Mills, a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, reveals that the couple once lived in Japan.

They also holidayed in Hong Kong where Mr Snowden fled when he revealed the top secret government documents. Mr Snowden has said he told his girlfriend he was going away for a few weeks on a work trip.

Over the past few years Miss Mills has also posted many scantily clad photographs of herself and videos of her performing. The blog is titled "Adventures of a world-traveling, pole-dancing super hero."

She specialises in pole dancing, partner acrobatics, and aerial dance and worked regularly over the last year with the Waikiki Acrobatic Troupe, a collection of around 30 dancers.

"She specializes in pole dancing."

Of course, and that idiot defected to Hong Kong?

More at the Other McCain, "Hollywood Script: Hipster Geek With Hot Girlfriend Fights ‘Omniscient’ Government."

Lost?

Maybe, although I  doubt she'll be alone very long. Sheesh.

Added: More at London's Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: The beautiful ballerina girlfriend whistleblower Ed Snowden was set to wed before he left her in Hawaii and fled to Hong Kong to leak NSA secrets. Now she says she feels ‘adrift’."

Kaley Cuoco FHM Cover July 2013

Very nice.

See, "The Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco rules the cover of this month's FHM."

Photos at Egotastic!, "Kaley Cuoco is Pure Hotness in FHM Magazine UK July 2013."

Also, FHM Father's Day suggestions, on Twitter.

'He's a Traitor' — Speaker John Boehner Interview with George Stephanopoulos on #Snowden and #NSA Surveillance

Memeorandum has it, "Transcript: Exclusive Interview With House Speaker John Boehner on NSA Leak, Immigration Reform and More."

And a roundup at the Note, "The Note: Edward Snowden Debate: Traitor or Hero?"

Apple Shows Hand for Staying on Top Through Innovation

At IBD, "Apple Shows Off iOS 7, iTunes Radio, Cylinder PC":

Apple (AAPL) on Monday responded to criticism that it isn't innovating enough by unveiling a revamped mobile operating system with a plethora of new features, a radically redesigned desktop computer, and an Internet radio service.

But the largely anticipated news failed to wow investors as shares dipped 0.7%.

At Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, executives shared their latest products with 6,000 software developers in attendance.

The cylindrical Mac Pro desktop for creative professionals is the Apple's boldest design since the short-lived Power Mac G4 Cube more than a decade ago. The black, 9.9-inch tall PC looks like oversized 35-mm film canister. It is one-eighth the volume of the current Mac Pro. It also boasts much faster computing and graphics processing. Assembled in the U.S., the new Mac Pro will be available later this year.

"This is the future of the Pro desktop," marketing chief Phil Schiller said. "This is a machine unlike anything we've ever made both inside and out."

More at that top link

And Apple's iOS7 page is here. The new Mac Pro is here. And the "keynote" page is here.

And some responses, at GigaOM, "Much iOS 7 design inspiration came from others but Apple elegantly puts it all together."

Also at TechCrunch, "Design, And Insecurity, Is Back At Apple," and at the Verge, "The design of iOS 7: simply confusing." (Via Techmeme.)

#Snowden. Hero or Traitor?

It's complicated, but I'm more on the traitor side.

At USA Today, "Is Snowden a traitor or a public servant?"

How you view Edward Snowden probably has a lot to do with how much you care about the threat of terrorism and how much you care about online privacy.

Hero? Traitor? Or someone in between?

How you view Edward Snowden, who exposed two sweeping U.S. online surveillance programs, probably has a lot to do with which you fear more — terrorist bombers or government snoopers.

Snowden's admission that he was the one who'd released evidence of the top-secret programs — one of the most sensational leaks of classified material in U.S. history — expanded an already blistering debate over the clash between national security and online privacy.

With Snowden's assistance, The Guardian and The Washington Post have recently published a series of top-secret documents detailing the government surveillance programs. One gathers hundreds of millions of U.S. phone records while searching for possible links to suspected terrorists abroad; the second allows the government to tap into U.S. Internet companies' data to detect suspicious behavior that begins overseas.

Who is Ed Snowden? That depends on who's asking.

From Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg, whom Henry Kissinger called "the most dangerous man in America," to Wikileaks dumper Bradley Manning, on trial accused of high crimes, Americans' views of their whistle-blowers always have depended on their own personal politics.

"We've seen this again and again," said Stephen Kohn, director of the National Whistleblowers Center and a lawyer who has defended whistle-blowers.

He said public support for a whistle-blower usually is tied more to a political issue — the Vietnam War, in Ellsberg's case — than to the rights of whistle-blowers or the issue of whistle-blowing.

Kohn said some people who might support Snowden's actions in principle are so concerned about terrorism "they'll say, at the end of the day, you can't have civil servants or contractors acting in this way." Those primarily worried about online privacy are more sympathetic.

Well, I can relate to principle, although Snowden's a tool of the left --- and those people have been harming U.S. security since long before the war on terror. Screw 'em.

PREVIOUSLY: "Lt. Col. Ralph Peters: 'Bring Back the Death Penalty' for Traitors Like Edward Snowden."

Global Warming Plateau

See Yid With Lid, "NY Times: It's Not Getting Warmer, We Don't Know Why, But We SWEAR It's Going to Get Warmer Soon."

And Weasel Zippers, "NY Times Admits “Plateau” In Global Warming Over Last 15 Years…":

Al Gore hardest hit.

More from Tom Nelson, "Nice timing, Robert: Even as the New York Times acknowledges a puzzling "warming plateau", Redford tries to convince us that "Climate change is happening fast...Our weather is out of whack"."

Angry Leftists Defend Homosexual Parenting

Following up on my earlier entry, "Homosexual Parenting Harms Children."

It turns out the Gaystapo thugs swarmed the Los Angeles Times with angry letters.

See, "LETTERS ON LETTERS: Marriage and families":

Rebecca S. Hertsgaard of Palm Springs took personal offense at the letter:

"I am deeply offended at this fallacious argument regarding gay parenting and the fact that someone would believe that a child needs both a mother and a father, something gay parenting is unable to provide.

"A woman's 'role' in a marriage? A man's 'role'? Besides apparently ignoring the fact that many children are born without benefit of their parents being either married or together, Graham also apparently still believes the arcane notion that fathers can't provide 'softness' and mothers can't provide 'protection.' I raised my children alone for many years, and they thrived.

"I'm just outraged. And I'm not even gay."

More angry idiots at the link.

IMAGE CREDIT: iOTW, "Government Redefinition of Marriage is Not Inevitable."

Russia Weighs Asylum for #NSA Traitor Edward Snowden

The Guardian reports, "NSA leaks: Russia 'would consider' Edward Snowden asylum claim – live."

And Althouse has the Drudge juxtaposition, "Drudge at his best: "Wanna Come to Russia?'" (At Memeorandum.)

There's something very Cold War-ish about all of this.

PREVIOUSLY: "Lt. Col. Ralph Peters: 'Bring Back the Death Penalty' for Traitors Like Edward Snowden."

'That's just how it is for progressives. They want what they want, when they want it, and if you dare to protest their use of your money — then they’ll really make you pay...'

A fabulous essay, at the House of Eratosthenes, "Progressives: I’m Taking Your Ball and Going Home."

Caroline Glick at 2013 Jerusalem Post Conference

At BCF, "Caroline Glick Let's Fly at the 2013 Jerusalem Post Conference."