CANCER DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOUR POLITICS

This is fact: cancer doesn’t care about politics. It doesn’t give a rat’s ass whether you think Newt Gingrich is a hero or a creep, and it doesn’t pay attention to the charged conservative-religious agenda that always seems to make comprehensive health care for women an intense and never-ending struggle. Cancer doesn’t care about your personal beliefs or your back-room power deals or your agendas, whether you are rich or poor, black or white…no, cancer...

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THE LITTLE BOOK OF LANA DEL REYS

Don't kill me, Interscope. ...

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TODAY'S PSA: PROTECT YOUR BRAINZ, PEOPLE

It seems very common-sense, doesn't it? You, whatever that is you think of as the you of you, are your brain. Your brain is everything, the real Wizard of Oz, Captain Of The Ship, Master Of The Universe. It's the best and most powerful thing you own or will ever own. So why why why why why WHY do we not treat it with the respect and care it deserves? This terribly sad story from CNN reminded me that no sport, no game, nothing is worth the loss...

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TODAY, PEOPLE IN MY HOMETOWN WILL BE EATING RACCOONS

It's to be expected -- many of our memories fade or disappear with the passage of time. I hate that, but I understand that there's a function to it. If we were constantly being bombarded by old brain content, it would be hard to make new brain content, right? Also, our psyches sometimes suppress content that is disturbing or unproductive to our sense of well-being. It is possibly the latter mechanism at work for me in the case of an event I had completely...

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TONY BENNETT ON PBS ON BBS!

For today's content I am going to direct to you Back Beat Seattle, where I have a little write -up about TONIGHT'S premiere of PBS' "Great Performances -- Tony Bennett: Duets II," airing at 9PM PST here on KCTS9 (other areas of the country please check your local listings). I was excited to view the press screener for this wonderful 90 minute program, especially after having the opportunity to photograph Mr. Bennett at Seattle's Paramount Theater...

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MY 30 MINUTES AT ROSS WITH COCKATOO BOY, CART SLAM GIRLS, AND THEIR LAME PARENTS

In the tight 30-minute space I had this afternoon between picking up Mr13 and picking up MissNine from their schools today, I decided to fit in a trip to Ross Dress For Less. (Do you think that there's a guy called Ross Dressforless somewhere in the world? Oh, I hope so.) I am nearly physically unable to make myself pay full retail for anything, so I get quite a bit of the family gear from places like Ross and TJ Maxx and Marshall's, and I think...

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ARIZONA: TRASH ACT, CLASS ACT

I don't think there's much more to add to these two examples of leadership other than this: think carefully about the character of the people you choose to vote into office, and remember that despite the corruption and game-playing and division, there are still good people out there who wish to serve the public honorably. (via The Huffington Post, 1/25/12) "Arizona Governor Jan Brewer traded words with President Obama after she greeted him at a...

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I MADE YOU SOME SOUPS

There's nothing like a hot, delicious bowl of soup on a chilly winter night to comfort the body and soul. Here are a few from Campbell's that you might like to pick up the next time you go to the grocery store -- be sure to ask a clerk for them if they are hard to find on the shelves! MMM MMM GOOD! ...

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IT'S A MOD, MOD, MOD WORLD, OR, POPTHOMOLOGY GETS A REDESIGN, WOO HOO!

OK, err buddy...TODAY is the DAY! Before we go any further, please take a moment to play this 23 second fanfare: Today is Popthomology Redesign Day, complete with a BRAND-SPANKIN'-NEW LOGO designed by YOURS TRULY, who is NORMALLY NOT A DESIGNER! WOOOO! (Ed. note to readers on Open Salon and RSS: this will make no sense at all to you unless you go to the site itself, which I hear increases lifespan, brings monetary good luck, and makes you irresistible...

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AMUSING OLD IMAGES FROM THE INTERHAPS

I've been working hard at a BIG site redesign the last few days, and by "working hard" I mean spending hours looking for cool widgets and drinking peppermint chai. In-between widget wrangling and peculiar beverages, I also happened across some pretty funny images that I thought I would put up here for you, all Tumblr-style. Oh, imagine, I think I will say to my kids, imagine that once upon a time I lived in a world of teacup contest monkeys, a $2500...

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"IT'S DIFFERENT DOWN THERE"

Tonight, after my ire and despair buttons were poked hard by yet another painful GOP debate (this time coming from South Carolina), I remembered something I hadn't thought about in a long time. It was something a friend said -- a friend I really liked, a very bright, funny, loyal guy. He had grown up in Georgia, moved to the West to go to school, and stayed out West to build his professional career and raise a family. I found out that he held some...

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THE HUMAN EYE IS A WONDER

Once again, some artwork handed to me by MissNine with no explanation. She's correct, of course. ...

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FIVE "UGLY" SONGS OF COUNTRY MUSIC

I can't think of a more plainly-spoken genre of music than good ol' American country. Hip hop comes close, but I find the urban-style plain-talk to be liberally interspersed with lots of bragging exaggeration, too. No, country music has thrived for years on simple, direct expressions of down-home life, which millions of people all over the world can relate to, even if they do not drive a truck, have all their own teeth, and have never been further...

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WOULD YOU MISS ME?

Today, this is the question that is being asked, where the "me" in question ranges from internet giants like Google, Wikipedia, and Reddit all the way to...Popthomology, which as we know is just actually me. Would you miss me, or them, or almost any internet site you may visit on a regular basis if someday you logged in, expected to search for info or watch a video or listen to a cover song made on Garage Band by some mom and her kid and saw...

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THANK YOU, WISCONSIN

Dear Wisconsin, Today is an Official Day of Thanks for me. My deepest gratitude goes towards the over one million citizens of Wisconsin who signed petitions in support of recalling Governor Scott Walker. In a state with only 5.6 million residents, 25% of whom are under 18, getting this amount of signatures in such a short time is a stunning political achievement. It's historic, unprecedented in American recall history. Over one million people,...

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GOLDEN GLOBES 2012: MY TOTALLY UNQUALIFIED LIKES & DISLIKES

It's true: I devote almost none of my time to television or movies. I don't say this as some kind of a brag, which would be silly and potentially obnoxious as it can be when you are talking to a guy about that seething undercurrent of jealousy between Mary Ann and Ginger on "Gilligan's Island," and he says drily, "I've never seen that show. We didn't have a TV; we read the classics and played lacrosse." Get outta here, Mitt. Anyway, I suppose the...

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PHOTOS: SUNDAY SNOW DAY

As someone who grew up in the Midwest, I am rather charmed by the giddy reactions from Miss Nine and our dog Ellie to today's rare Seattle snow. Please to enjoy, too. ...

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