“LAUGHS FOR LOVED ONES” RAISING FUNDS, AWARENESS FOR ALZHEIMER’S
Local stand-up comics join forces to raise funds for [...]]]>

Contact: Kevin Marshall                                                          FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Phone: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Email: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

“LAUGHS FOR LOVED ONES” RAISING FUNDS, AWARENESS FOR ALZHEIMER’S
Local stand-up comics join forces to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association of North Eastern New York at Waterworks Pub on November 9th

The area’s best stand-up comedians will join forces for a one-time event to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association of North Eastern New York.

Laughs for Loved Ones will be held on Friday, November 9^th at the Waterworks Comedy Lounge (76 Central Ave., Albany). The show starts at 9pm with doors opening at 8:30pm. The cost for the event is $10 with all proceeds going directly to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Headlining the event are crowd favorites Jaye McBride and Ethan Ullman. Jaye has been seen literally coast to coast, from the Laugh Factory and Comedy Store in LA to Caroline’s in New York City. Locally, she serves as the co-host and co-producer of the monthly Laughs on Lark showcase, which occurs on the second Wednesday of every month at Elda’s on Lark in Albany, NY. Ethan is the host of Alternative to Sleeping, a weekly comedy program that can be heard on WCDB 90.9FM and alt2sleep.com, and has  opened for Todd Barry, Brian Posehn, and Doug Stanhope, among others.

Other local comics on the lineup include Kevin Marshall, Mo Haskins, Kristin VanSteemburg, Luke Donovan, and Shawn Gillie.

The event is being organized by Kevin Marshall. Waterworks Pub is providing the facility for the event free of charge.

The Alzheimer’s Association of Northeastern New York seeks to advances research, provides and enhances care and support for those stricken with the disease and their loved ones, and seeks to reduce the risks associated with dementia through the promotion of brain health. More information is available at their website: http://www.alz.org/northeasternny/.

###

For more information, please contact Kevin Marshall at deputymarshall@gmail.com or call 518.892.0577.

motherjones:

Mitt Romney’s Stake in Chinese Stocks

The GOP candidate invested in 10 Chinese companies recently—including ones that embezzled, partnered with Iran, and stole US trade secrets. The lowdown is here.

Well, in fairness, there’s not many American banks and big corporations that Romney could invest in that aren’t crooks and [...]]]>

Ta-Nehisi Coates shared this quote from Lee Atwater describing “the Southern Strategy” on his blog today. The quote was first published anonymously, then later attributed to [...]]]> Who, exactly, are these 47% Romney is referring to? There are two answers: the statistical 47% that lead to that oft-repeated soundbite, and the 47% Romney is actually referring to.

Ta-Nehisi Coates shared this quote from Lee Atwater describing “the Southern Strategy” on his blog today. The quote was first published anonymously, then later attributed to Atwater in the 1980s.  Three decades later, it still proves revelatory.

You start out in 1954 by saying, “N*****, n*****, n*****.” By 1968 you can’t say “n*****” — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states’ rights and all that stuff. You’re getting so abstract now [that] you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I’m not saying that. But I’m saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “N*****, n*****.”

This sort of cynical race-baiting is common to the party and the repercussions are still felt today, and will be for a long time.

The latest Romney controversy is a testament to that long, ugly history. It is a confirmation of what many suspected, which is that Romney is running for the elite. He has an exclusionary mindset that so many on the right prescribe to Obama, which by the way is almost as quixotic as hack conservative gadfly Dinesh D’Souza’s analysis of the President. He, and not the fictional Obama that birthers claim wasn’t even born in these United States, is the one who grew up in and continues to inhabit a world that is so alien from our own.

If he comes across as an awkward weirdo, it’s because as far as we’re concerned, he is. He can’t and won’t possess any empathy for the common working man, despite his claims to the contrary. He has absolutely no understanding of what struggle is. He doesn’t know what it’s like to operate without a familial safety net. His is a life of privilege, from beginning to end. That alone does not disqualify one from being connected to people in any meaningful way, but combined with his narrow and stilted world view, it’s resulted in what we saw in the video leaked by Mother Jones: a man who thinks nearly half the country is a drain and not worth his time and who, by the way, wants to run the most powerful country in the world.

The “47%,” by the way, comes from the percentage of the country that is alleged by pundits and talk radio douchebags to not pay any income taxes. Which on its surface is true, but duplicitous in its presentation. Those repeating the figure either don’t know or fail to disclose who the 47% really are. the fact that income tax is what’s taken out when you file your taxes between January and April. This is not to be confused with payroll taxes that come out of every single one of our paychecks. So if you’ve ever received a tax refund, you are or were at one time part of that 47%. 

Turns out I was misinformed, but the real explanation sent to me was even better:

Payroll taxes are things paid BY THE EMPLOYER every time they file a payroll, so their contributions to your social security, unemployment insurance, etc.

The withholdings that are taken out of our your paycheck every two weeks ARE income taxes . . . they are based on the amount of income that THE EMPLOYEE earns. Those withholdings are no different than what you pay when you file your taxes April 15. If you get a refund, it means you paid too much income tax in your withholdings, but it’s YOUR money that you are getting back (less the interest you would have earned if you didn’t put it in the Feds’ pockets). So you can pay a LOT of income tax every years without ever paying any of it with your filing . . . people who are self-employed (or partners in businesses that they own) are required to make quarterly income tax payments.

The 47% is actually based on the number who people who really do end up making no net payment over the course of a twelve-month period . . . they may have withholdings and then get a refund, or they may not have withholdings because they don’t earn paychecks. Many of them don’t pay because they don’t earn enough . . . but many MORE of them don’t pay because they earn A LOT, but are savvy enough to use various loopholes to get their taxable income down below the level where payment is not required. Romney himself is (or has been) likely one of the 47% for years.

But that’s not Romney’s 47%. Going back to Atwater, the 47% is a code word used by Romney and the other thirty out-of-touch, smarmy millionaires in that room for a very specific group.

Blacks.

Already there are those on the defensive reading this that, I’m sure, would insist that Romney was making a statement on socio-economic class. But any attempt to separate the racial implications and present it simply as class betrays, if not sincerity, a fundamental misunderstanding of race and racism in this country. Because even those poor white trash that we’re going to put in the 47% are n*****s in the eyes of these men. People like Romney may be able to create a rainbow coalition in their smug world view out of this parasitic 47%, but there is absolutely no mistaking what color the faces of the people are when he invokes the term “Middle Class” with such reverence and concern.

People are calling this a disaster for Romney. Yet a part of me, cynical as it may be, can’t help but not be surprised at all by this. It’s the sentiment his most vociferous supporters have been propounding over the last several months, and it’s the narrative they’ll continue with up to, including, and past this coming November’s election. Will it hurt Romney now that we’ve heard it coming straight out of his mouth? Perhaps, but were any of us that were affected by this statement actually considering voting for this awkward, privileged goof? Is there anyone, honestly, outraged by these comments that up until now thought this useless fucking haircut would be a good Commander-in-Chief? That he’d invite anything but ridicule and disaster upon us when put in a position to make decisions that affect the entire planet?

Bush, at least, came across (and still does) like he’s able to talk to a human being without playing a prank on him.

Joke’s on us.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

(and [...]]]> Hey so is this guy trying to convey that he’s so gay if you stood next to him your shirt would catch on fire but is desperate to hide it from his wife with weak “uh, yeah, those gays sure are bad” deflections, or is he just a really really shitty actor?

YOU MAKE THE CALL

(and don’t vote for Romney and Ryan)

There’s already quite a bit of content up on the Tumblr and my first article has been posted, which [...]]]> Big news: in addition to my weekly contributions for MMA Uncensored Live, I’m now writing and Tumbling for All Access Weekly, Spike’s five minute showcase of movies, comics, gaming, and all sorts of geekery.

There’s already quite a bit of content up on the Tumblr and my first article has been posted, which casts the “Alf” feature length film being developed by Sony (for real, that’s actually happening).

• All Access Weekly on Spike – http://www.spike.com/shows/all-access-weekly
• Follow on Tumblr – http://allaccessonspike.tumblr.com/
• Articles – http://www.spike.com/shows/all-access-weekly/articles

JOIN US

Actually, you would see that the biggest gift would be from Batman, because his secret identity is Bruce Wayne who is, like, stupid rich. Richer even than Aquaman who’s a fucking King for crying out loud.

By the by, Aquaman as Rose is what makes this work.

So I did what I did when I was a child, and I just tuned [...]]]> I had to go in to work today and for whatever reason didn’t want to to a goddamn thing tonight. I wanted to see people and to be around people, but didn’t know who to call or where to go.

So I did what I did when I was a child, and I just tuned in to Johnny.

Watch Johnny Carson: King of Late Night on PBS. See more from American Masters.

It’s been a while since this came out and it’s about goddamn time I sat down and watch it. Without getting too much into it, Carson and Bob Hope were and are the reason I act and am the way that I am.

So if you’re still up and/or not doing anything tonight, sit down and watch it with me.