Clearing out the Clutter

Thursday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back to the house of random, and a happy Thursday to you all.  The weekend is almost here, thankfully.  However, there's still plenty to be done before then, so help yourself to a nice medium iced DD, and let's clear out a little Clutter.

Berkshire Hathway is moving some stocks around in its portfolio.  What are Warren Buffett and company focusing on now? 

Speaking of stocks, apparently nothing can slow down the stock market.  Actually, I smell a drop coming, but either I'm right about that, and there's a sale coming, or I'm wrong, and the vast Clutter portfolio will continue to swell to new heights, so either way, it's all good.

I know we talked about this for a bit yesterday, but if our deficit problem is basically solved for now, how about we start talking about growing the economy instead of stifling it with budget cuts?  How about we all finally start acting like adults and seek to find ways to solve the serious problems facing this country.  Or we could just hold the 37th vote to repeal Obamacare.

The Vatican ordered a cardinal to leave Scotland and pray for a few months as his punishment for sexual misconduct.  Here's a crazy idea, how about he faces criminal charges instead?  Is this really considered a legitimate punishment by anyone?  He's basically being told, "You've been a naughty boy.  Now go think about what you did."  With such a perverted sense of morality, criminal justice, and sexual behavior, it's still unbelievable that anyone looks to these loons as leaders of any type.

I watched the first inning or two of the Boston Red Sox game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, and things got off to a great start when Big Papi hit a 3-run line-drive home run in the 1st.  I switched over to the season finale of NCIS for an hour, and by the time I got back, the Sox were losing 5-3, which ended up being the final score.  Moral of the story, it's a good thing NCIS is on summer hiatus now.  No more distractions!  For instance, I watched all of last night's game, and the results were much better.

By the way, don't ever make Red Sox sideline reporter Jenny Dell angry.  You won't like her when she's angry.

Dude, what the hell?  (pic via sportsrants.com)

Just two days left until the Doctor Who season finale.  Thankfully, there are still the remaining 50th anniversary specials to look forward to this year, or else I might be throwing a wee bit of a tantrum over likely having to wait an exceedingly long time before the start of the next season.

So Robin Williams is coming back to television in the fall.  I won't say that I have high expectation for his new show, but I will be happy if it ends up being any good.  I still remember when his movies and stand-up specials were "must see," and it was an exciting adventure just to try to keep up with him.  Good luck to you, sir.

Now that Happy Endings has been cancelled, will Elisha Cuthbert be heading back to the resurrected 24 as Keifer Sutherland's daughter?  I'd be okay with that.

Elisha Cuthbert (pic via webseriesnetwork.com)

Who's coming with me to The Hangover Part III?

 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I still can't get over that cardinal nonsense.  I'll tell you, I'd rather be a member of a religion run by the guys from Monty Python's Flying Circus.  Check them out for yourself with today's, "Clip of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and make sure you come back soon so we can do this all over again.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Saturday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  What's the plan for the weekend?  I'm off to Mom Clutter's house to help her with some errands for Mother's Day.  BDH and Little Buddha assure me they'll be well behaved while I'm gone and just keep an eye on everything, so I feel good about that.  However, we have some business to take care of first, so help yourself to a nice medium iced DD, and let's clear out a little Clutter.

The Boston Red Sox looked to starting pitcher Jon Lester last night to help them get back on a winning track.  Lester responded by being just one batter short of a perfect game, as the Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-0.  It was both an outstanding performance in its own right, and it was also so clutch, as it gave the recently battered bullpen the night off and a chance to get themselves back together.  Now it's Clay Buchholz's opportunity to silence Toronto broadcasters Jack Morris and Dirk Hayhurst by shutting the Jays down again.

Cheers to Judge Edward Korman for not backing down an inch on his order that the Obama administration allow emergency contraception to be sold without an age restriction.   It's nice to see that someone is putting public health and science before politics. 

Good for Boston College for not caving in to Cardinal Sean O'Malley after he announced he'll be boycotting the school's graduation ceremony because the featured speaker is Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.  What's Prime Minister Kenny's mortal sin, you may ask?  Why, he supports legislation that would make abortion legal in Ireland when there is "a real and substantial threat to the mother's life" including from suicide.  That bastard.  Seriously, Cardinal O'Malley is making a fool of himself with his mysoginistic stand, and cheers to BC (which still has an administration that is hostile to sexual health) for ignoring him. 

Sorry to hear that Malcolm X's grandson was killed in Mexico.  Wait, this is the grandson who set the fire that eventually killed Malcom's wife Betty.  He sounded like a troubled kid.  That's too bad.

I'm just hopeless when it comes to dogs (in case you hadn't already figured that out.)  I'm taking the T home to Clutter Headquarters, and this woman and her dog get on the train.  He was a little thing by my foot, and I must have been petting him for five minutes before I remembered to ask the owner if she minded me doing that.  BDH says it's better to offend the owner by petting the dog than offend the dog by not petting him/her.

Wait a second, can Facebook make you psychotic?

David Ortiz isn't done with Dan Shaughnessy yet.  Big Papi basically called the lazy Boston Globe writer racist for implying that Ortiz is using steroids because he's from the Dominican Republic. 

Color me impressed:  Major League Baseball suspended an umpire for two games for getting a fundamental rule of the game wrong.  I'm trying to remember the last time I heard of an umpire being held publicly accountable for anything.

Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton is gorgeous, but besides that, this is one of the sexiest things a woman can ever say:  "I love my body. It's what God gave me! I feel confident with myself, and if that inspires other women to feel confident with their bodies, great."  There's nothing more attractive than a women who is comfortable in her own skin, whatever her body type.

Fairly attractive.  (pic via andrewmorel.com)

Oh, hold on a second, I better set the DVR for tonight's Doctor Who before I forget.  Okay, that's better.

Just to be clear, Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman died from liver cirrhosis, not from a spider bite.

I think I liked Thursday's season-finale of Community more than most of the reviewers.   I mean come on, how am I supposed to say no to "Evil Annie" played by Alison Brie?  It felt like a series finale to me, but I haven't given up hope on a fifth season yet.

A vision in red.  (pic via zap2it.com)

Wait a second, wait a second, wait a...second.  Is Jack Bauer coming back?  I don't even know how to deal with this.

Hey, we have breaking news.  Look's like Community will be back!

 

5th season

— Joel McHale (@joelmchale) May 11, 2013

 

 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Danzig close things out for us with his song, "Mother."  I don't think it really has anything to do with Mother's Day, but it's still awesome, and it's today's, "Song of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and I'm sure BDH and Little Buddha would love to hang out with you tonight if you're around.  Otherwise, be good, and we'll see you back here again for more fun soon.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Thursday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  How are you?  Did you all enjoy Wednesday as much as everyone here did?  Sure, it was about 20 degrees out, and there's snow still on the ground, but it was the first day of spring, my friends, and nicer days are just around the corner.  BDH and Little Buddha are excited that we'll soon be able to turn off the heat and open the windows every once in a while.  The Clutter Tree's buds are growing.  These are good days, my friends.  Good days.  Let's celebrate said days by grabbing a nice medium DD (iced, perhaps?) and clearing out a little Thursday Clutter.

As if the arrival of spring wasn't exciting enough, we are now only nine days away from the return of Doctor Who, so it's time to turn up the marketing machine another notch!  Let me be clear, I don't want to rush through next week's trip to spring training at all, but I'm so excited that Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman will be waiting for me on my DVR when I get back to Clutter Headquarters!  I told BDH and Little Buddha that they're not to watch the show without me.  They promised, but I think that's more tied to them struggling to work the remote control than anything else.

Speaking of spring training, if the biggest controversy the Boston Red Sox have so far is whether or not to put highly-touted prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. on the big league roster at the start of the season, things are going pretty well in Fort Myers at this point.

I just bought a new camera for the trip, so don't you worry, Clutterheads, we'll have some pictures up on the site!

This seems like it could be sort of a big deal:  Does Pope Francis support civil unions for same-sex couples?

It's startling to look like failed vice presidential candidate Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) is starting to be revealed as the lying fraud that he is.  It's encouraging to see that people are starting to see that the emperor has no clothes here, but I just wish I felt better about the GOP coming up with a new "man of ideas" who is any better.

Wait did Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) just get Tea Party House members to flip on immigration reform? 

It doesn't look like the Federal Reserve will be pulling back on its stimulus efforts any time soon.

Little kids are greedy hypocrites, but at least they know it, according to a new study that was co-authored by Friend of Clutter Peter Blake.

This didn't come up during last Friday's show, but just in case there's any doubt, skinheads are not welcome at a Dropkick Murphys concert.  Not welcome at all.

Are Pete Campbell and Rory Gilmore really getting married, or is this some publicity stunt for the new season of Mad Men, which begins on April 7th?

Really?  (pic via hollywood.com)

While the rest of us were lost in our own crazy little worlds, CSI was being renewed for a 14th season. 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  BDH tells me that he's been crunching the numbers all week, and after some serious mathematical calculations, he's come to the conclusion that it's been way too long since we had a puppy close things out for us.  I can't argue with math, so here's a cute black lab just being adorable in today's, "Clip of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Stay warm, be good, and come back soon so we can do this all over again.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Thursday Clutter

Hello there,

Welcome back to Clutter Headquarters.  We're in a bit of a funk here today after this Wes Welker development, but we'll get to that in a second.  On a brighter note, wasn't it beautiful outside yesterday?  I went out for a second in the afternoon, and it quickly became increasingly difficult to get myself back into my office building.  Nothing beats the beginning of spring, my friends.  It's warmer, but not warm enough to send my internal thermostat into overdrive, and nothing beats having it be light out when I get home.  Good stuff, I tell you.   Okay, I feel better now.  Grab yourself a nice medium DD (iced, perhaps?) and let's clear out some Thursday Clutter.

Okay, let's just get it over with.  Wes Welker signed a two-year /$12 million contract to play with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.  I think I just threw up in my mouth a bit.  I don't get this at all.  Bill Belichick and Bob Kraft clearly think Welker's done.  I think they're wrong, and that this move will come back to bite the New England Patriots in the ass.  I don't trust that New England will find a reliable safety-valve for Brady who can stay on the field for a full season, and I see the Patriots season ending on a Manning-Welker TD pass.  Karma is a bitch, and this one reeks of bad karma. 

The Patriots seemed so eager to tell Welker to piss off during all of these contract negotiations, it makes you wonder if something else was involved.  I mean, two years at $12 million is a steal for the Broncos, and the New England counter-offer was apparently two years for $10 million?  I mean, that's more than just moving on.  Did Welker make a move on Kraft's young girlfriend?  Does someone on the Patriots payroll have a foot fetish like Rex Ryan, and did they take offense at Welker's cracks about the Jets coach at the time?  These contract negotiations seemed something more like what the Red Sox would do with a pending free agent, and that's not a compliment.  Well, good luck Wes.  You did a great job here, and best of luck in Denver, when you're not playing New England.

Cheers, Wes.  Thanks for everything.  (pic via toledoblade.com)

It seems safe to say we know how Tom Brady reacted to this, especially after he just restructured his contract, presumably at least in part to make it easier to bring back Welker.

I'm sorry, he signed with who now?  (pic via usatoday.net)

Wait, they dumped Welker for Danny Amendola?  A guy who has played 12 games over the last two seasons?  Seriously, he hit on the girlfriend, right?  Ugh.

I was confident that I would make it through life without ever seeing a "Harlem Shake" video.  However, Terry Francona changed all that.  Tito, what the hell has happened to you?

 

With the road trip to Fort Myers getting ever-closer, it's important to remember something.  Spring training isn't just a chance for batters and hitters to get into a grove.  The ball girls and boys need some practice time before Opening Day as well.  (h/t Clutterhead Joe LeBlanc)

Uh oh:  Which Massachusetts Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate promised to support President Obama on guns and immigration?  That's not going to fly.

So, here's the new pope.  Sounds pretty much the same as the old pope, so if you're a woman or not a heterosexual, you're out of luck. 

The GOP has now tried to dismantle the Affordable Care Act 34 times, because they don't want you to focus on the fact that they have nothing else to talk about besides cutting taxes for the top 1%.

The new BlackBerry is almost here.  Will any of you consider buying one?  I'm sticking with my old model until the keys stop working, but I imagine I'd have to at least look at the new version when the time comes.  Of course, by the time I get to it, they'll probably announce that they're phasing this version out in the next six months.  Clutter is many things, but an "early adapter" is not one of them.

Someone is leaving the Doctor Who team, and I would like their job.  Where do I apply?

RIP Clive Burr.  The former Iron Maiden drummer was only 56 years old and had been battling poor health for a while.

Apparently actor Bradley Cooper was near my office on Tuesday.  I might have already left by the time he got there, because I'm pretty sure I would have heard the squeals.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I don't think we have any choice but to let Wes Welker take us out with some highlights for today's, "Clip of the Day."

 

Thanks for coming over, folks.  We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.  Enjoy the rest of your Thursday, and just remember that Friday is right around the corner.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and sadly, much like Wes Welker, we are outta here.  (We, on the other hand, will be back tomorrow.)

Wednesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

You're back!  That's outstanding.  How's the week going so far?  I guess it's fine on this end.  BDH and Little Buddha don't seem to think it's moving particularly quickly or slowly.  We took a vote, and it was unanimous that it feels like a Wednesday, so that seems fair.  Then we took a vote that we needed coffee.  Democracy is a wonderful thing.  Help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out a little Clutter.

The Washington Post claims that the next pope is not likely to be the guy with facial hair from Massachusetts.  Man, I thought I had a good shot at it.

Is there anything new about Paul Ryan's 2014 budget proposal?  Cut taxes, cut spending, repeal ObamaCare, and give everyone vouchers for everything.  Is this 2014, 2012, 0r 2010?  Has the GOP offered anything new since 2008, because it certainly sounds like the same old tired platform from here. 

I sort of feel like putting a hold on a bill to keep the government funded should leave a Senator subject to a recall election or something, especially when there's no point to doing it except to demonstrate that the GOP has no action plan for the next three years except to run out the clock on the Obama administration.  There's no larger point here, Senator Tom Coburn and his accomplices just don't want to do anything at all until 2016.

Have no fear, everyone.  It looks like Twinkies might be making their big return shortly.  And you were worried about that.  Those cream-filled golden sponge-cakes will outlive us all, my friends.  They will outlive our children and grandchildren.  No one can strike down the mighty Twinkie.

Immortal.  (pic via yahoo.com)

(Okay, I might need an apple or something right now.)

Clutter is now less than two weeks away from our road trip to Fort Myers, and Big Papi's injury aside, there are a number of things to like about the 2013 Boston Red Sox so far.  I know everyone has low expectations for the team, but I'll call it right now:  You're looking at the 2013 world champions, because hey, why not?  What's spring about if not the promise of new beginnings?  Seriously, my only real hope each year is that the team is likable and is playing meaningful games in September, and I think this group could do that.

The only thing that should ease the sadness of that trip being over is that the third Doctor Who special of the year is the night I return, and then the only question is, will I have time to watch Matt Smith and Jenna-Louise Coleman's latest adventure on the DVR before that?  What that's your biggest question, things are good.

I should have known it was too good to be true:  Van Halen's manager says there's no plan for a major tour at this time, despite David Lee Roth's recent comments to the contrary.  Did Roth blow the surprise, or is this the beginning of a new soap opera?  Either one of those sounds like viable possibilities to me.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Have you ever wondered what would happen if you combined The Beatles with Metallica?  Of course you have, who hasn't?  Well, it turns out that you'd get a band called "Beatallica," and they would play songs like, "Fuel on the Hill" which would end up being today's, "Song of the Day."  So now you know!

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and make sure to come back soon so we can do this all over again.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and much like the Fuel on the Hill, we are outta here.

Saturday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back!  Come on in, make yourself comfortable.  How's your day going so far?  I was out the door early this morning to make sure that I could get to the gym and do a grocery shopping before the next round of snow came.  Now I see that it's not supposed to start until sometime around 5:00, and I'm starting to wonder if the whole thing has been over-hyped again. 

However, that's fine, because this has already been a good day.  First off, BDH got a birthday gift certificate in the mail for a free medium coffee from Dunkin Donuts, and second, everyone here is excited to watch the Boston Red Sox play on NESN for the first time this year!  Hell, we're so excited, we're actually eager to see how John Lackey looks!  So, it's all good, but right now, let's focus on the task at hand.  Help yourself to a nice medium DD, because it's time to clear out a little Saturday Clutter.  Ready?  Here we go...

I don't believe that Pope Benedict XVI is stepping down simply because of health issues.  We'll see whether or not it has anything to do with some type of "gay lobby" in the Vatican, but something will eventually be revealed as the real reason he's leaving. 

Glad to hear that the government will be going after any profits convicted bomber Eric Rudolph receives from his new book.  He shouldn't be allowed to benefit from his heinous acts that took several lives.

Citigroup shareholders didn't want to pay their last CEO $15 million, but his replacement gets $11.5 million?  Doesn't seem like much of a difference to me.  In full disclosure, I owned Citigroup stock years ago when I was first learning about the stock market.  The stock was at a low price because the company had just had some sort of scandal, and my recollection is that I did okay when I sold it (as part of the plan to come up with the down payment for Clutter Headquarters), but I never felt right about being connected to that company.  There were other scandals, and they never inspired confidence.  I was happy to cash out in order to move into this sprawling manse with a fantastic tree.

It's too bad that we won't be watching David Ortiz today, but everything will be fine as long as he's ready for action by the time Clutter gets to Fort Myers at the end of March.  The Big Papi News Desk is eager to get back to work!

What is the "Larry Bird drill," and how will it benefit the Red Sox?

The new Doctor Who special is on tomorrow night, so I don't know how much I'll catch of the Oscars, but I hope host Seth MacFarlane does well.   The Family Guy creator is at his best when he's pushing the boundaries, so it will be interesting to see to what extent he's allowed to do that, or if he's neutered in front of the Hollywood establishment.

Seth MacFarlane (pic via monstersandcritics.com)

Former President Jimmy Carter weighed in on what he says is wrong with Argo.  His points are perfectly fine, but I can't say I care.  Unless a movie is claiming to be a documentary, I tend to assume it's largely fiction, even if it's "based on real-life events."  Argo is a dramatic story, and a well-made movie, and I give Ben Affleck credit for putting it together.  If it has a limited connection to reality?  So be it.

I still find it remarkable that One Life to Live and All My Children are coming back from the dead.  More than a year after the plans to switch them to an online platform were cancelled, the two soap operas resume production on Monday.  The bigger question here is, will enough viewers watch first-run content online to make this experiment profitable, and if so, what does it say for the future of television? 

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have Seth MacFarlane and the rest of the Family Guy crew take us out with today's, "Clip of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was geat to see you, as always.  Those of you who want to stick around and watch the Red Sox take on the Tampa Bay Rays are more than welcome to hang out some more.  As for the rest of you, be good, stay out of the storm (if it ever arrives), and come back soon so we can do this all over again.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Wednesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back, and a happy Wednesday to you all.  Come on in, make yourself comfortable.  BDH and Little Buddha have been asking me when you were going to get here, and here you are!  This calls for a celebration.  Actually, this calls for some coffee.  Help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out some Clutter.

It will be interesting to see if Republicans put their money where their mouths are and really are open to discussing sensible gun control legislation. 

Meanwhile, the folks in the Tennessee government think the best approach is to have the teachers armed.  I ask this as a serious question, and as the son of mental health professionals.  Don't you have to have some type of personality disturbance/disconnect from reality to have such a blood-lust that you would propose arming teachers in elementary schools before you would look at ways of keeping these weapons of mass killing out of the hands of the public?  This isn't a Charles Bronson/Clint Eastwood/Sylvester Stallone movie, kids.   I think there has to be a disorder involved somewhere to offer this as a legitimate proposal.

As Instagram tries to get all of its users to calm the hell down/not delete their accounts, Clearing out the Clutter would like to take this opportunity to remind you that we will never sell your pictures.  BDH and Little Buddha would never stand for that sort of thing.  We're here to enjoy your company, not make a profit off of you.  So feel free to click on that "email me" link in the top right corner of your screen with any photos you like, and rest assured, they're safe with us.

The Irish government will be specifying when abortions can be performed to save the woman's life, and the bishops are complaining about it. 

J.D. Drew says his brother Stephen will be fine playing for the Boston Red Sox, so hey, what else do you need?

As head coach Rex Ryan finally throws in the towel on quarterback Mark Sanchez, I'm tempted to say I'd almost feel bad for the New York Jets...except they're the New York Jets, so...instead, I just laugh the laugh of the righteous.

Wait, what's this?  There's a new Doctor Who special on BBC America before the Christmas special?  Excuse me while I do my happy dance... Okay, I'm back.  That just about makes up for the fact that apparently I have to wait until April 2013 for the second half of this season to begin.  Damn you, Time Lord!

Six days and counting!  (pic via radiotimes.com)

I turned on The Voice last night when I hit the wrong channel while trying to get to How I Met Your Mother.  It was a mistake, I was happy to make, as this was the opening:

 

Speaking of How I Met Your Mother, we haven't talked about that in a while.  My assumption at this is point is that this is the final season of the show.  It certainly feels like they're heading in that direction, and it's probably time, because I'm not sure they really have that many more great stories to tell.  However, last night's episode was fantastic.  It could not have been better-timed, and while it may be time for them to go, I will be sorry when this show finally wraps up.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I think we should close things out with another Christmas carol.  Why don't we go with...Twisted Sister for today's, "Song of the Day."  Sound good?  Of course it does:

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  BDH, Little Buddha and I will just be relaxing tonight, if you want to swing by later.  Otherwise, be good, and we'll see you again for more fun and holiday spirit soon.  For now, that's today's Clutter, and I don't know where All Ye Faithful are going, but we are outta here.

Wednesday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back, how are you?  It's a quiet day so far at Clutter Headquarters.  BDH and Little Buddha were up late last night yelling at the squirrel in the Clutter Tree to go make a nest somewhere else.  They make an intimidating duo, but apparently that little bastard's not going anywhere.  His nest looks like it's big enough for a couple of birds, and it would almost be impressive, if it wasn't so irritating.  Okay, enough obsessing about that for now.  The coffee is ready, so help yourself to a nice medium DD, and let's clear out a little Wednesday Clutter.

Last night's All Star game was over pretty quickly, as Detroit Tigers ace Justin Verlander did his best Josh Beckett impression, giving up 5 runs in the 1st inning.  That would prove to be enough, as the National League won the game 8-0.  I watched most of the game, mostly out of a sense of duty as a baseball fan, but I certainly wasn't paying as much attention as I used to, because inter-league play has really taken most of the excitement out of watching.  It's just not as exciting to watch the two leagues challenge each other, when they've already done it for two weeks this year.  I also think the game is in no-man's land with the notion that, "it counts" now.  It's still just a huge popularity contest, and the managers don't use the same strategies that they would for a "real" game, which leads to a horrible way to decide home-field advantage for the World Series.

So, now that the NL won, the Boston Red Sox will just have to win the World Series on the road tihs year.  (What's all that laughing I hear out there?)  Boston starts the 2nd half of the season on Friday.

Clutterheads, before I forget, I'll be helping Dad Clutter park cars for the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 race at the NH Motor Speedway this Sunday, so come by and say hi if you're going to the race!  Drop me a line at bitsofclutter@gmail.com for details.

Mitt Romney wants to cut tax rates by 20%, and he says he'll pay for this by eliminating some current tax breaks.  Surprisingly, he won't mention which ones he wants to close, but that's no big deal, because there's nothing easier in Washington than closing a tax break, right?

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is grasping at straws in defense of Mitt Romney, arguing that Romney's Swiss bank account and Bermuda shell corporation are fine, because, "(I)t's really American to avoid paying taxes, legally."  I assume that will make a useful campaign commercial.

Attorney General Eric Holder promises the Justice Department will aggressively challenege the GOP-driven assault on voting rights via Voter ID laws.  Holder called the laws "poll taxes," and anyone who would disagree is not someone to be taken seriously.

The House will vote against the Affordable Care Act for the 33rd time today, in case the first 32 votes weren't clear enough to get their message across.

Congratulations to the Episcopal Church for becoming the largest U.S. denomination to support same-sex wedding services.

This is just the latest reason why the Internet rules:  In case you've ever wondered what what would happen if you threw a baseball at 90% of the speed of light (and who here hasn't wondered that very question?), here's the answer.  Hint:  It's not good.  In fact, it's remarkably bad.

Oh my god, Tom Brady's been arrested for giving out candy to kids!  Check out the exclusive footage here.  (That's right, it's exclusive.  Don't look anywhere else, just take our word for it.)

 

Three former associates of Lance Armstrong have been given lifetime bans in racing for their participation in a doping conspiracy.  I wonder if Armstrong and Roger Clemens hang out.

79-year old actor Peter O'Toole announced his retirement yesterday.

Wait, I just realized today's date is 7/11.  Does that mean I'm obligated to buy something, say an ice cream bar, from the local 7-11 to celebrate?  If I must, I must.

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I know this is the third time in recent weeks that we've posted different versions of this song, so I apologize for that, but really, there's no way to not pay tribute to Cookie Monster's version of "Call Me, Maybe."  There may be no lyric that speaks more to my heart in all of music, than, "Me just met you, and this is crazy, but you got cookie, so share it, maybe!" (Note:  This line doesn't necessarily have the same weight if I'm the one with the cookies, but, we can discuss that later.)  Here you are, with today's, "Song of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you, as always.  Enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll see you back here again for more fun soon.  Until next time, that's today's Clutter, and we are outta here.

Thursday Clutter

Hi everyone,

Welcome back, I'm glad to see you all survived Leap Day, and that no one needed any bail money.  Did you all have fun?  I went out to celebrate the magical day with some friends, and one of them told me some news that just blew my mind.  I still haven't been able to fully get my arms around it, but we'll have some details for you in tomorrow's Clutter, so you'll just have to stop by then to see what all of the fuss is about.  For now, grab yourself a nice medium DD, and let's clear out a little March 1st Clutter.

Rick Santorum is down after his Tuesday defeats, but he's not out yet.  There's still a good number of GOP primary voters who haven't gotten any more excited about Mitt Romney, so Santorum could keep this thing going for a while, if he just stops, you know...talking.

Can we just take a moment to review the fact that Dick Cheney shot a guy in the face while he was Vice President?  Shot a guy...in the face.  Now, if Joe Biden shot a guy...in the face..during this term, the GOP and Fox "News" would be calling for immediate criminal charges/impeachment and somehow claiming this was proof that the Obama administration hates America.  Instead, we all just moved right along as if it was no big deal that the Vice President of the United States...shot a guy...in the face.

By the way, how terrified of Cheney is his victim, Harry Whittington?  Cheney clearly hasn't apologized for this incident, and Whittington is perfectly willing to move on and say, "No apology needed, these things happen all the time.  It was my fault, really."  It's like something out of a Monty Python sketch.

Does this ring a bell? (pic via nydailynews.com)

Mitt Romney trying to have it both ways on the extremist Blunt Amendment that would allow employers to ban health insurance coverage of anything they object to?  Color me shocked.

Just tell me what you want to hear. (pics via inquisitr.com)

A new poll also shows Senator Scott Brown with a solid lead over challenger Elizabeth Warren.  I can't speak to the validity of this particular poll, but it emphasizes one of the biggest truths in Massachusetts politics:  People continually underestimate Brown.  He may be moving to the right of Rick Santorum these days, but it will take a lot of hard work to defeat him in November.

The chief federal judge in Montana sent out a racially charged email comparing President Obama to a dog.  Judge Richard Cebull denies it was a racist email, but says he, "could understand why people might be offended."

Judge Cebull (pic via billingsgazette.com)

A Maryland priest denied a woman Communion at her mother's funeral because she's a lesbian.  Nothing like putting your politics before your job.

Google's new weaker privacy policy goes into effect today.  You can delete your web browser history on Google here, and you can do the same thing for YouTube here. 

Score another win for big tobacco as a federal judge threw out a legal mandate that cigarette companies put graphic images of the results of smoking on their products.

There are fliers everywhere in the neighborhood now for missing Boston College student Franco Garcia.   The guy's been missing for over a week without a trace, but I hope there's still some chance for a positive end to this story.

Ken Rosenthal from Fox Sports is reporting that Major League Baseball will start the expanded playoff system this year. 

I'm certainly no New York Yankees fan, but watching new Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine try to get in on the fun by commenting on things that happened eight years ago just isn't ringing true to me.  It feels like the new guy trying too hard to fit in with the cool kids.  Bobby, go beat this year's team, knock them out of the post-season, and then you can talk some convincing trash.

New Tampa Bay Rays outfielder/noted birther Luke Scott doesn't care for Red Sox fans.  Hey, Luke, it's not our fault you played for a joke of a team for so many years.  The Baltimore Orioles acted like they won the World Series after eliminating the Red Sox last year?  That speaks volumes about the fact that your team didn't do anything else worth celebrating all year.

It sounds like the New England Patriots aren't ready to cut ties with wide receiver/massive bust Chad Ochocinco just yet if he'll restructure his contract.

Can you do something productive next season?  Child, please.  (pic via bet.com)

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Steelers will release wide receiver Hines Ward after 14 years.  Ward's had a great career, and I'm not sure what he could think he still has left to prove, so maybe it's time to hang up the cleats.

Is Rajon Rondo's time with the Boston Celtics coming to an end?  I've heard numerous reporters say that the team would build around him going forward, but it sounds like maybe that's not the case.

R.I.P. Davy Jones.  The Monkees singer died yesterday of a heart attack at age 66.  I remember when the group was big on MTV in the mid-1980s, some 15-20 years after their debut.  We'll always be Daydream Believers.

Van Halen continues to get positive concert reviews, and now I'm only 10 days away from seeing for myself.  I know everyone wants to hear the greatest hits, but they could play more than four songs off the new album.  I'd be happy to hear almost all of it live, except for "Tattoo."

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  Let's have The Monkees take us out with a little "Daydream Believer" for today's, "Song of the Day."

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  It was great to see you as always, and we especially appreciate you coming out in this lousy weather.  Have a good day, stay dry, and we'll see you back here again for more fun and randomness soon.  For now, that's the Clutter, and we are outta here.

Leap Day Clutter

Hi everyone,

Happy Leap Day!  Welcome to the day that just doesn't count.  What's the plan for the day?  The sky's the limit, because all bets are off on February 29th.  The mind races with the possibilities.  I see BDH and Little Buddha huddled in the corner whispering excitedly.  That can't be good.  Let's start this day of magic and wonder by grabbing a medium DD and clearing out some Clutter.  Everyone good with that?  Excellent, here we go...

Mitt Romney lives to fight another day after winning yesterday's primaries in Arizona and his home state of Michigan.  Rick Santorum might have had a chance for the upset in Michigan, and thus the opportunity to throw this nomination process into utter chaos, except for the fact that he keeps talking.

Maine Senator Olympia Snowe (R) caught everyone off-guard yesterday by announcing her intention to not seek another term.   She was expected to win without much of a problem, but she said that the uber-partisanship had done her in.  Having to follow the lead of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) can't be much fun for anyone who isn't an obsessed obstructionist.  Democrats are now expected to have a strong chance at picking up Snowe's seat.

Snowe. (pic via pressherald.com)

With reports now coming out that Mormons posthumously baptized slain Wall Street reporter Daniel Pearl, I remain dumbfounded by this entire ritual.  How can it be seen as anything but disrespectful to baptize someone of another faith when they are dead?  That's a complete disregard for someone's identity.

Happy Birthday to any of you who are Leap Day babies.  How do you celebrate this special day?

The upcoming Facebook IPO could be worth a good amount of money to California over the next five years.

Wait, application developers can steal the pictures off your iPhone without you knowing it?  One more reason for me to stick with my BlackBerry until its final days.  My pictures may be blurry, but they're mine, all mine.

Boston Red Sox players react to news of catcher Jason Varitek's retirement.  I know it's time, but it's still sad to see the end of an era.  It's now also time for Jarrod Saltalamachhia to step up and be a leader on this team.  Good luck, Salty.

The guy who collected NL MVP Ryan Braun's drug sample is tired of getting attacked. 

It's official:  I'm off to see Van Halen at the TD Garden on March 11th!  The tickets came in the mail yesterday, and I actually only paid $15 more through StubHub than I would have if I was able to get them through Ticketmaster.  That's not bad.  My friend Dave will be joining me for what I think is our fourth show together.  That's fitting because he and I met each other through the band. 

I was standing in line at the Strawberries Records in Saratoga Springs in the summer of 1993, waiting to buy the Right Here, Right Now album (which was actually a tape at the time, kids).  The guy right in front of me bought his stuff, turned to walk away from the register, looked at my tape and said, "Nice choice," as he showed me his RHRN tape.  Fast forward to September, and my friend Vanessa tells me I have to meet her new friend Dave.  When I walk into his room, we both looked at each other and immediately said, "You're that Van Halen guy," and we've been friends ever since.  Great music, great friends, you just can't go wrong with that combination.  Let the countdown begin!

Benedict Cumberbatch could be coming to Doctor Who next year as The Master?  If you listen real carefully, you can hear the sound of my head exploding into a million little pieces.  This would almost be enough for me to root against the Doctor.  Make it happen, Steven Moffat, oh lord of all things BBC.

Cumberbatch (pic via contactmusic.com)

I'll root for Medford native Maria Menounos to do well in the next season of Dancing with the Stars, but I don't think I'll actually watch the show.  I reserve the right to change my mind on that one, though.

Maria Menounos (pic via tvguide.com)

Bill O'Reilly and I agree for once:  Angelina Jolie needs to eat something.

The Affleck name will live on, and much rejoicing was heard throughout the land.

Reports are that Natalie Portman is married, but not to Timothy Hutton, which is disappointing, because I totally thought those two would have a future together once she turned 18.

A little creepy, but it worked.  (pic via guardian.co.uk)

Okay kids, that's going to do it for now.  I think we'll let the mighty Van Halen take us out with today's, "Song of the Day."  Apologies for the quality of the footage, but you know I'm a sucker for the first 90 seconds of a concert.  I know this clip is 30 years old, but I expect the exact same energy level on March 11th.  That's reasonable, right?

 

Thanks for stopping by, everyone.  Have a good one, and let us know all about your Leap Day adventures at bitsofclutter@gmail.com.  Until next time, stay safe, come back again soon (say, tomorrow), and we'll have even more fun.  For now, that's the Clutter, and we are outta here.