So very Beck-ish, don't you think? From the terrific film "Things To Come", 1936. Story and screenplay by H.G. Wells. The whole thing is at YouTube now.

Willkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome! Here at the C&L Cabaret it's time for the Blog Roundup Revue! No use in sitting alone in your room by the PC -- in here, life is beautiful! Let your Master of Ceremonies, Steven at Die Meinung Muhle, show you. And we're obliging -- if you don't like the songs of Kander and Ebb, you can try this little ditty that's perfect for the War On Terror.

Black waters run deep, and Blackwater's waters run very deep and smelly indeed . Read all about it while this jolly song runs through your head.

Pretty soon it will be time to set ourt clocks back, but maybe instead we should set the Democratic Party leadership forward. And while we're at it, upgrade the party frontrunner to a more appealing model and engage in some serious class warfare .

It is so hot here at the C&L Cabaret that we constantly have to battle to keep the women from taking off all of their clothes. So stick around. Today, we may lose the battle -- whoops!

Nice documentary you have there, Mr. Burns, but we need a lot more.

HOLY CRAP: In our WIngerweek Roundup we find that the Big Guy In The Sky doesn't put out the way he used to for the GOP. And the Bible-bangers of this lovely little town are on their way to learning that anti-gay bigotry carries a hefty price tag .

BOOK NOOK: Science fiction master Norman Spinrad (Bug Jack Barron, The Iron Dream) has written a near-future novel about an Islamist terrorist and is having a spot of trouble finding a publisher. He's posted the first third of the novel online and gone on YouTube to explain his take on 9/11 and the War On Terra. And in more multimedia fund, here's Todd Gitlin talking about his new book, The Bulldozer and the Big Tent .

Well, that's all for this week, mein Herrs and Heroines. It's been a groove and a gas and I thank Mike for the opportunity to make you all rue the day you shelled out for DSL. The secret password and the keys to the cabaret are being turned over to Jamie for the coming week.

So, in closing, I'd like to leave you all with this positive inspiring message:

The holidays will be here before you know it, and books like this make wonderful gifts.

Auf wiedersehen.

We all got a good laugh recently when a CBS affiliate in California discovered that the Pentagon considered building a “gay bomb,” which could purportedly turn enemy soldiers gay. Apparently, however, that’s not the only wacky idea on which Pentagon officials have been willing to spend money.

Creating armor that renders a soldier invisible. Stimulating the brain to suppress sleep for days. Arming sharks with chemical implants and cameras to work as spies.

This year the Pentagon will spend $78 billion — about half of all government research and development dollars — on a variety of projects, according to the American Association for the Advancement for Science (AAAS). The vast majority - about $68 billion - goes to traditional spending, like weapons development and space systems. But some fringe research mimics the best of science fiction.

Or perhaps the worst. The ABC News report included quite a few gems, including the “gay bomb,” a lengthy study into “psychic teleportation,” and research into brain implants that intended to “steer sharklike dog fish with a phantom odor.”

When Austin Powers jokes start to resemble actual research, it’s not a good sign.

"The Church of Scientology is gearing up to bring its message to a whole new arena: racing fans. "Ignite Your Potential" is the mantra Scientology uses to get Tom Cruise and other Hollywood celebs jumping up and down. Now that message will be used to fuel the engines of a new NASCAR race team.

The venture is called "The Dianetics Racing Team," named after the bestselling self-help book written by the movement's founder, science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard...read on"

Somehow I don't think this match will work.

Mike's Blog Round Up

Well, that didn't take long. More proof that this is no coincidence. Here's a complete transcript of another version of the SOTU address which seems more 'reality based' than the one G-Dub actually delivered. It's no more fantastic than the president's admission that he makes science policy based on science fiction! There were a lot of mumbling "WTF"? when Bush started talking about banning "human-animal hybrids."  No wonder a friend called it The Altered State of the Union.  Backlash Liberal has preserved the only sane moment of the whole charade.
people mumbling "WTF"? when Bush started talking about banning "human-animal hybrids." No wonder a friend called it The Altered State of the Union. Backlash Liberal has preserved the only sane moment of the whole charade.
Informed Comment: "It is the height of hubris to speak of "self-government" in Iraq."

The Poor Man Institute: Proof conclusive that shrillions now living will never die.

Catch: Junior's latest cynical appointment

Today in Iraq:  "Bring 'em on."

Informed Comment: "It is the height of hubris to speak of "self-government" in Iraq."

The Poor Man Institute: Proof conclusive that shrillions now living will never die.

Catch: Junior's latest cynical appointment

Today in Iraq: "Bring 'em on."