Bobservations

This week, eating breakfast and watching GMA, there was a story about Facebook doing an online graduation ceremony for 2020 high school seniors.

Oprah Winfrey will be the commencement speaker … gag … and Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X and Simone Biles , among others would speak. And Miley Cyrus will perform her “inspirational” song, ‘The Climb.’ Carlos, with his Absent-minded Professor ears on, said:

“Decline? What? Is her credit card declined?”

And began singing:

“♫ ♪ I’m declined! I’m declined ♪ ♫”

I said:

“Honeybunch? It’s ‘The Climb,’ not ‘I’m Declined.’”

“Oh.”

More Carlos … yesterday, right after eating his breakfast, Tuxedo threw up on a kitchen rug. As we have a standing rule that I take care of what goes into the cats, and Carlos takes care of what comes out, he cleaned up.

As he bitched and whined and moaned—far, far less than I would have had the situation been reversed—I suggested we change his middle name to VomitCleaner. He said:

“I already go by that name.”

And he ain’t wrong.

Tuxedo seems to relish the fact that Carlos and I are in lockdown because now he has company …

The homeowners’ association for Fisher Island, an exclusive enclave near Miami that recently bought enough COVID-19 antibody tests for every single resident and worker on the island, has been approved for a $2 million loan through a federal program intended to help small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the Fisher Island Community Association—the master homeowners’ group for the wealthiest ZIP code in the country—plan to use the money.

The rich get all the breaks.

Go figure … Right after asking the federal government to expand the use of its lone FDA-approved drug to coronavirus patients, Jaguar Health has more than tripled the price of the drug.  They say the need to drastically raise the price during the height of a pandemic to stave off the company’s collapse.

Earlier this year, the list price of a 60-pill bottle of Mytesi—an antidiarrheal medication which may help with the virus—was $668.52. On April 9, as more and more people were dying, Jaguar Health raised the price to $2,206.52 a bottle.

The rich get richer and the poor … die.

After closing down and sending students home due to the COVID-19 crisis, West Point is being forced to bring 1,000 cadets back to its campus—an epicenter for the virus—so _____ Trump can deliver a commencement address.

West Point had postponed its commencement, and school officials were unsure whether to hold one, until _____ announced that he would be speaking there.  Why. You may ask? Jealousy.

Last Friday, the day before Michael Elizabeth Pence was to speak at the Air Force commencement ceremony in Colorado, _____ abruptly announced that he would, in fact, be speaking at West Point. That was news to everyone, including officials at West Point, who been looking at the option of a delayed presidential commencement in June, But now, with _____ feeling butt-hurt that Pence is getting press, West Point has called back 1,000 cadets.

For the ego of _____.

The New York Times ran a few stories on the lunacy of Fox News’ chief asshat, Sean Hannity. And because he was butt-hurt about it, Hannity had his attorney Flying Monkey, Charles Harder, demand an apology or a retraction.

It all began with a piece by Ginia Bellafante about Brooklyn bar owner, Joe Joyce, who took a cruise to Spain in March, and later contracted the coronavirus and died. Now, while it is not clear that Joyce contracted the virus in Spain, his daughter Kristen Mider told Bellafante that her father watched Fox News and believed the coronavirus was under control because Hannity said so. Bellafante said that Hannity "went on air proclaiming that he didn’t like the way that the American people were getting scared 'unnecessarily.' He saw it all, he said, 'as like, let’s bludgeon Trump with this new hoax.' " 

Except it isn’t a hoax, and the shoddy, biased, half-assed vomitous mouth droppings that Hannity passes off as news may have led to a man’s death. And so, when Harder demanded an apology, and NYT legal counsel David E. McCraw responded:

"The columns are accurate, do not reasonably imply what you and Mr. Hannity allege they do, and constitute protected opinion. In response to your request for an apology and retraction …

… our answer is 'no.’”

No.

Yes, in the midst of a pandemic that is far from over, the White gift shop is now selling COVID-19 coins, emblazoned with things like:

“WE FOUGHT THE UNSEEN ENEMY” … “Everyday Heroes” … “President Donald J, _____, Vice President Michael R. Pence, Secretary S. Mnuchin, Drs. Jerome Adams, Deborah Birx, Anthony Fauci.”

The coins regularly cost $125 but buy now and you get one for $100. And, to sweeten the pot, 20% of the proceeds are donated each day to U.S. Hospitals including Johns Hopkins for its COVID-19 Coordination and Tracking.

I wonder where the other 80% goes.

I need some hot men, and a Husband In My Head now, so let’s go with Matt Bomer, who responded to a viral meme featuring a lineup of white guys—Cheyenne Jackson, Finn Wittrock, Max Greenfield, and Wes Bentley—all cast as leading men by producer Ryan Murphy, with @vintagehols saying:

“i could not name one of these men if someone put a gun to my head.”

First off, I could, and did; take that! But Matt gets the award for best Retort because he tweeted back:

“I love all of these men and their unique talents. But if you’re going to line us up and objectify us every few months like Ryan Murphy’s version of a Hitchcock blonde...then I’ve got dibs on Grace Kelly.”

And then, because he’s not just a pretty face, Bomer followed that tweet with one soliciting donations to CenterLink, a coalition of more than 250 LGBTQ community centers from 45 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, as well as Canada, China, Mexico, and Australia:

“While you're figuring out who's who click on this link and donate to Centerlink and support LGBTQ youth around the country who need a place to live, eat, and find safety right now. Even 50 cents helps!”

Hot and compassionate.

Yes, please.

So, we’re watching some movies here in Lockdown and there are some hot mens traipsing across the screen, like—clockwise:

Corey Stall, who fulfills my sexy bald man fantasy, and will be co-starring on the new season of Billions.

Nicholas Pinnock, who is giving me Denzel Washington with an extra dose of hotness, while starring in For Life.

Martin Freeman, who played Watson to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock on PBS, and is now starring in the offbeat comedy Breeders.

And comedian Jermaine Fowler, who was one of the first celebrity contestants on RuPaul's Secret Celebrity Drag Race and played Kevina Hart—brilliantly—in Snatch Game.

I do like a bowl of Man Candy in the morning.

Architecture Wednesday: Point Lonsdale Beach House

Ah, a beach house. Just the thing I need for lockdown. And this one, Point Lonsdale Beach House might just be the thing I need … unique, not too big, close to an ocean and in Australia.

The house is built as four distinct pavilions, all interlinked, and each with its own vaulted roof that marks out the different parts. Each of the four pavilions features its own private courtyards, within which are small gardens and decks designed for outdoor relaxation, along with access points to the gardens, and the beach.

The home that runs East to West, with the front on the property’s southern border in order to leave space behind for the lush gardens along the northern side. It was designed as an ‘island’ in the midst of a coastal landscape, elevated above other houses, and cantilevered slightly over the ground in an effort to level the terrain while doing minimal damage to the natural area. In coming years, the natural gardens from outside the plot will grow back up to its perimeter and blend visually with the gardens that belong to the actual home.

The house has two sleeping zones, each slightly removed towards the calming gardens at the back, linked by a central common area entirely covered in timber boards; the central placement of this room joins seamlessly with the wider back gardens through sliding glass doors. On one side of the  room, the longest timber wall opens up, thanks to a pivoting wall panel, into an outdoor living space designed to feel like the interior of the house is spilling right out into the sunshine and towards the beach.

Another pivoting wall leads to a slightly more private deck between the kitchen and the lounge space, providing owners and visitors with a space for shade and quiet that isn’t visible from elsewhere on the land. All these courtyards and small gardens, while peaceful and calming, also provide great flow of movement of coastal breezes and bright sunlight from room to room.

To me, it’s just an escape, though I have one quibble ...with all that gorgeous wood, why does the bathroom look like a prison john?.

Click to emBIGGERate ...

HomeDSGN

Michael Elizabeth Pence. ISBL COVIDIOT of the Week Day

Yesterday Vice President and Chief Lap Dog and Ass Kisser, Michael Elizabeth Pence responded to criticisms that he defied Mayo Clinic policy by not wearing a mask during his visit campaign stop to the campus, saying he complied with federal guidelines and felt it his duty to speak to workers at the facility unencumbered by a facial covering.

"As vice president of the United States I'm tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus. And since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible health care personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you."

Clearly this fuck doesn’t know how to wear a mask if he thinks he cannot look into people’s eyes while wearing one. We can bet Mother wears a mask during their biannual attempts at sexual relations, but no one knows if its Mother who doesn’t want to see Pence or Pence who doesn’t want to see mother.

And one more thing … there aren’t enough tests, no matter what _____ lies, and yet Michael Elizabeth Pence gets tested regularly.

Clearly no one else matters but a lying hypocritical religious possibly closeted bigot … and his Mother.

Just so you know, Michael Elizabeth, it’s the mask on the left for hospital visits and the mask on the right for fun times with Mother.

Tuesday Thought #4

Tuesday Thought #3

Tuesday Thought #2

Tuesday Thought #1

Ron DeSantis. Carolyn Goodman. Dan Patrick. Stephen Moore. ISBL COVIDIOT[s] of the WEEK DAY

Flori-duh Republican Governor and _____ asskisser, Ron DeSantis, who faced heavy criticism for his COVID-19 non-response, made an appearance on _____-channel, Fox News to gloat about the fact that the impact of the virus in Flori-duh has been less severe than some statistical models once predicted.

And yet, on the same day he bragged, Flori-duh recorded its second-deadliest day of the crisis on Wednesday, and experts are unsure whether the state. And while gloating, he pulled a ____ and outright lied saying only 2,200 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19 in his state even while the Flori-duh Department of Health says the number is double that … 4455.

Ron DeSantis, the ISBL COVIDIOT of the Day … again.

Las Vegas is the city of odds, and the oddest thing of all is that the people elected a lunatic as mayor.

The city’s leader, Carolyn Goodman, has offered up the citizens of Las Vegas for a COVID-19 version of The Hunger Games, saying her constituents would be the perfect control group to determine if social distancing measures are the right tool to American deaths below catastrophic estimates.

Yes, she wants to reopen the city and see how many people die so they can be a statistic in the pandemic. Describing her desire to reopen, this COVIDIOT said that restaurants and retail stores “better figure it out” and that it’s “their job” to determine how to do that safely.

“That’s not the mayor’s job.”

No, she thinks her job is to sit back while people die.

On Fox News, because, where else, Texas Lt. Governor, and GOP dipshit, Dan Patrick has joined the GOP’s new Pro-death movement to fix the economy if people would just stop fighting the virus and die already:

“What I said when I was with you that night is there are more important things than living. And that’s saving this country for my children and my grandchildren and saving this country for all of us. They told us … to follow the science. Well, what science?”

Hey Dan, you fumbling fuckity fuckwad fucker, why don’t you, since you think this should be the new mantra for the former Pro-Life GOP, be the first to offer yourself up for death so your kids can have a burger and fries.

Fuckmonkey.

Stephen Moore, a member of _____’s economic task force, suggested that all Americans wear “space outfits” so the country can reopen for business despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Moore, who recently compared anti-lockdown Freedumbers to Rosa Parks, has been pushing for the _____ administration and governors to loosen stay-at-home orders:

“We can use really good public safety measures, social distancing the work force, disinfectants everywhere, masks. I was thinking this morning, and this is just kind of a thought experiment because I was thinking about this—why don’t we just put everybody in a space outfit or something like that? No. Seriously, I mean—”

As this point, this COVIDIOT was reminded that the government would have to make space suits for every American at a time when they can’t even make tests for all of us, or even get a vaccine working.

And so, Moore played it off like a joke, only then he doubled down on the idea:

“I know we don’t have space outfits [laughter]— I mean, just thinking out loud, and maybe this is a crazy idea, but instead of just locking down the economy, putting everybody in a kind of—you’re right,” Moore said. “You have to make 200 million of these, but it wouldn’t have cost $3 trillion to do that. And you can have for months people just walking around in these kind of—I mean, I was looking online, and there are all these kinds of suits that they’re building now that you’re not exposed and you’re breath—kind of ventilator.”

Seriously. This is what passes for a member of the presidential administration.

Franklin Graham Doesn't Hate The Gays Y'all ... He Says So

Anti-LGBTQ evangelist Franklin Graham went on anti-LGBTQ FOX News host Laura Ingraham’s show to prove to everyone he is not a homophobe because his organization—Samaritan’s Purse—the group funding the makeshift coronavirus tent hospital in Central Park, makes all workers, including health care providers, “read and adhere” to a statement of faith that says gay people should be hated.

The text that workers are asked to adhere to asks them to agree that marriage is “exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female” and the unrighteous are sentenced to “everlasting punishment in hell.”

And, as Laura Ingraham does, she asked the wrong question:

“Why are you being attacked for opening a field hospital?”

Um, Laura, you tool? He is not being attacked for opening a hospital he’s being attacked for making people sign an anti-LGBTQ+ Hate Pledge. Still, Frank played the victim:

“We believe marriage is between a man and a woman… That goes back to the beginning of time to the first man and woman that God created. We have a statement of faith that we require our employees to sign and in that is a marriage is between a man and woman… And that is very offensive to some people in the gay community. I’m not homophobic.”

Not homophobic, huh … please to explain. Frank, why you have called The Gays child molesters when the Boy Scouts president called for an end to the ban on gay leaders...

Why you threatened to leave Wells Fargo Bank after it featured a gay couple in an ad...

Why you said God would smite Obama with lightning for celebrating Gay Pride…

Why you pitched a hissy fit over Target’s gender neutral toys…

Why you blasted Obama for inviting LGBTQ people to see the Pope…

Why you boycotted the Girl Scouts over their support for LGBTQ rights…

Why you called for a boycott of Disney over a gay Beauty and the Beast character…

Why you called called on Pete Buttigieg to repent for being gay…

Why you thanked _____ for banning the LGBTQ+ Pride flag at U.S. embassies…

Why you denounced Taylor Swift for supporting the LGBTQ Equality Act…

Why you blame The Gays for the spread of STDs…

Why you called Chick-fil-A’s CEO to ensure the chicken restaurant chain remained anti-gay…

Why you defended a pastor who read an anti-gay prayer aloud in the Virginia legislature.

If it looks like a homophobic hater, and rants like a homophobic hater and bullies like a homophobic hater, then it’s a homophobic hater and can fuck off.

Things I Like #8

Once again, in a post inspired by, or stolen from, Mistress Maddie, here are some things I like that are around the house.

This is my favorite corner of the living room because it’s Carlos and me, and some friends, and some trips and some things my father gave me. The desk is Carlos’, brought from the family home in Mexico. It’s a small roll-top desk with little drawers and compartments and a desktop that pulls out for writing.

Above the desk is a photograph I bought at a winery in California many, many years ago. It’s a simple black-and-white photo of a window, with a shade drawn down and bent, stopping just short of the windowsill lined with broken glass. It seems so desolate and peaceful and as soon as I saw I, it was in my hands. 

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it … oh, sorry. This accent light was a gift to me from some friends; I like that it looks like a flower and has a frog sitting on the handle. It’s whimsical, you know.

And finally, a gift from my Father. The Little Leather Library Collection that has been in my family’s homes for as long as I can remember. My parents bought the set when they lived in England after getting married, so they are older than me, Each book measures 3x4 inches and there are all sorts of stories; Shakespeare plays; essays on Lincoln; Poe poems; and these two …Uses of Great Men and As A Man Thinketh.

The Little Leather Library Corporation was conceived of by publisher brothers Charles and Albert Boni in about 1914. In 1916 they showed their prototype to ad men Harry Scherman and Maxwell Sackheim, who worked at J. Walter Thompson Company. Scherman suggested approaching the Whitman’s Candy Company of Philadelphia and proposed the “Library Package”, a box that would include a copy of a literary classic enclosed with Whitman's chocolates. Whitman’s Co. ordered a total of 15,000 copies of fifteen of Shakespeare's plays.

After the Whitman’s order came additional titles, sold by Woolworth's for ten cents each. In 1917, it is estimated Woolworth's ordered over 1 million copies of The Little Leather Library. That was when the collections began to be sold as a set, with twenty to thirty books in each set. In the first year, sixty titles were published, and one million were sold in a little over a year.

I have read some of them, and some I feel are a bit too delicate to open, but loving books as I do, I get a kick out of a ‘little’ collection.

And there you have a small corner of Casa Bob y Carlos.

The Funny Papers

Nick Anderson, Bill Bramhall, Marc Murphy, Darrin Bell, Rick McKee, Dave Whamond, RJ Matson, Deb Milbrath, Kevin Siers, Michael de Adder, Jack Ohman, David Fitzsimmons, Bob Gorrell, John Cole