The Beer Bar

So MsGuy and others have posted recently on the Singularity and other looming phenomena that may have less than desirable outcomes for H. sapiens. What do you think may be the greatest risk? Possibilities I can think of, in rough order of likelihood: Catastrophic climate change Food chain collapse Global pandemic -- too much human biomass on the planet, too well connected due to modern transportation Potable water crisis Nuclear annihilation Malevolent machine sentience In turn, possible saving developments: Cost-effective mass-scale desalination Terraforming to actively reverse climate change Nanomedicine, biomaterials/bioelectronics, etc. H. sapiens genetic engine…

towleroad.com has some good news for music fans, and maybe even gem147... "D.C.-based electronic duo GEMS, aka Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher, cover Seal's 1995 classic "Don't Cry", cover art and all." Andy Towle calls it a dreamy tract, and I can agree, but, I don't know how to bring that link over here, so visit towleroad to hear it: http://www.towleroad.com/2014/01/gems-covers-seals-dont-cry-listen.html

Unsure whether to post this under Porn or Art, I'll fudge and put it here. Basquiat's Ex-Girlfriend Paige Powell Presents A Series Of Very NSFW Images Of The ArtistWarning: This post contains a lot of full frontal nudity. It is very NSFW. A budding photographer who'd recently moved to New York snapped intimate photographs of her lover, nude and relaxing in her Upper West Side apartment. If you're Paige Powell, this story is made ever more interesting thanks to the fact that her lover happened to be one of the most iconic artists of the last century -- Mr. Jean-Michel Basquiat. Powell revisits her personal photography archive in an ongoing exhibition in New York City,…

And I'd like to be there for it! Yes, it's snow, not dick, but snow can be fun too. To be in Central Park for a huge snowstorm is an experience to be treasured. I was there in a blizzard once, and it was darn cold so I only lasted 45 minutes, but it was an experience to remember. So, New Yorkers, get yourselves to Central Park! (Yes, I realize that a huge snowstorm is a problem in many areas, but not when you don't work, don't have to drive, and just want to wander among nature as it takes 12 inches.)

Gay Juror Was Taken Off Panel Improperly, Federal Court Rules01/21/14 02:05 PM ET EST SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that potential jurors may not be removed from a trial during jury selection solely because of sexual orientation. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion on Tuesday stating that striking someone from a jury pool because he is gay constitutes discrimination. The ruling came in an antitrust dispute between two rival drug companies and a popular AIDS drug. A lawyer for Abbott Laboratories used one of his allotted preemptory challenges to remove a potential juror who had referred to a male partner during questioning.…

UN to launch legal challenge against Malawi anti-gay laws January 21, 2014 6:12 AM LILONGWE (Reuters) - The United Nations' AIDS taskforce and human rights groups will launch a court battle against Malawi's laws criminalising homosexuality, in a rare challenge to rising anti-gay legislation in Africa. The legislation has strained relations between President Joyce Banda's government and international donors, whose aid is desperately needed in the impoverished country. UNAIDS, the Malawi Law Society and local rights groups will ask the high court on March 17 to overturn as unconstitutional laws banning same-sex relationships. They will also challenge the convictions o…

Voranai Vanijaka of the Bangkok Post continues to discuss - or alludes to discussing - the current (as in decades-long) political situation here in Thailand. You can read it here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/390300/with-all-sides-wrong-there-can-be-no-right He approaches a critical topic which helps one understand why Thailand is where it is these days but wisely (given he enjoys his freedom) doesn't cross any lines. For example, he says: "First, for decades the old elites have struggled over the "destiny of Thailand's future". Thaksin happened to invest in a future they do not welcome, to put it mildly. It's a conflict of, not just interests but…

I am Devoted and Addicted to this show, but since noone here has mentioned it lately, was wondering if anyone else is still watching ? It is certainly turning out to be the bloodiest and twisted season. They die, they come back to life, they are dismembered, they get put together. OMG..... My only disappointment is the minimal role Evan Peters is playing. I know its his character but he is a great actor and I was hoping he would give us more. I cant wait to see how it all ends up.... Will Jessica forfeit her Supremacy and go off with Axman ? Will Vodoo queen become mortal and be taken out finally by Miss Crazy Bates ? Or will Gabourey EAT them all and reign …

Today is a national holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the slain black leader whose death galvanized the civil rights movement in this country. I think his speech "I Have A Dream" remains one of the most inspirational speeches in our history.

Porn Production Moves To Vegas After LA's Condom Law By HANNAH DREIER 01/17/14 11:41 AM ET EST LAS VEGAS (AP) — Lee Roy Myers has everything you'd expect to find in the nation's porn capital in Southern California: sets of a classroom, hospital room, locker room and a bedroom, as well as a list of porn stars waiting to perform. But his plywood universe is not in the San Fernando Valley. It's a few paces away from the glittery casinos of the Las Vegas Strip. "Las Vegas is a fresh town, and it's where people need the business," said Myers, whose new studio is part of a boom in X-rated production in Sin City sparked by a Los Angeles law requiring male actors to wea…

Want to be worth more dead than alive? http://www.npr.org/2014/01/19/263128098/swiss-company-compresses-cremation-ashes-into-diamonds?utm_content=socialflow&utm_campaign=nprfacebook&utm_source=npr&utm_medium=facebook

Silk Road was an online drug market that made millions acting as the middleman for drug users and dealers across the country. And, "allegedly" it was this cute young guy masterminding it: He's Ross Ulbricht, who was arrested at a San Francisco library, apparently with his laptop opened to the site. Silk Road, using Bitcoins, would hold the money for a drug transaction until the buyer verified that all was well. Taking a commission, the profits were huge as we know Americans love their drugs. Even a doctor was caught selling drugs through Silk Road. How it all happened, and how the former Eagle Scout might have been involved, is the focus of a lengthy article in the …

Well I guess VA is going to be the next state to allow gay marriage hopefully. If I get bored in NC then I could go to VA to get married. More and more new options everyday.. I sometimes wonder everyone in the US is waiting for my marriage. Watch out VA here I come.. LOL.. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/va-quickly-emerging-key-gay-marriage-fight-21590106

He's been in the news lately as his career is rising, yet his sexuality is not discussed. But handsome Ronan Farrow is gay, even if he wants it kept secret. At least that's what you come away with from this online article: http://www.vice.com/read/does-it-matter-that-ronan-farrow-is-gay?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mainrss Maybe this isn't news, since it was discussed last November here: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/83205204.html Either way, Ronan favors Jon Lovett, a former Obama speechwriter:

A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled Tuesday that the state’s constitutional amendment barring same sex marriages violated the federal Constitution, the latest in a string of legal victories for gay rights and one that occurred in the heart of the Bible Belt. The state’s ban on marriage by gay and lesbian couples is “an arbitrary, irrational exclusion of just one class of Oklahoma citizens from a governmental benefit,” wrote Judge Terence C. Kern of United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, in Tulsa, deciding a case that had languished for nine years. The amendment, he said, is based on “moral disapproval” and does not advance the state’s assert…

I was smitten with Juan Pablo from last season. He's handsome, Hot, Latino, educated, and a devoted single Dad. I was in Heaven when they made him this seasons Bachelor, and was hoping he would find a loving soul-mate. Now, FUCK THE ASSHOLE.... after his disgusting and rude comments on Gays. They should cancel this seasons show and kick the mother-fucker to the curb... When you become a Public figure, you better start editing your comments before you speak..... ADIOS Juan Pablo ! READ below: America may have fallen for ABC's new "Bachelor" when the long-running reality show debuted with strong ratings this month, but I have a feeling the love affair will end sw…

This is usually the best indicator of the upcoming Academy Awards. . . 2014 SAG Awards Winners List OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A CAST IN A MOTION PICTURE 12 Years a Slave American Hustle – WINNER Ausgust: Osage County Dallas Buyer’s Club Lee Daniels’ The Butler OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Cate Blanchett – “Blue Jasmine” – WINNER Sandra Bullock – “Gravity” Judi Dench – “Philomena” Meryl Streep – “August: Osage County” Emma Thompson – “Saving Mr. Banks” OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE Bruce Dern – “Nebraska” Chiwetel Ejiofor – “12 Years a Slave” Tom Hanks – “Captain Phillips” Matthew McConaughey – “Dalla…

I find the dedication of Oylmpic athletes incredible! This guy is really fighting an uphill battle to be competitive. http://www.out.com/entertainment/sports/2013/08/26/blake-skjellerup-help-gay-speed-skater-sochi-olympics

Kraft Foods has announced that there "might" be a shortage of Velveeta in the near term future. The New Year party season has passed but the Super Bowl looms. A prime dip event. How can a Super Bowl party survive without some Velveeta dip? Answer: Likely it cannot. A completely unscientific random survey of the local grocery stores shows no shortage of the "V" cheese product but, as we all know, when something like a snowfall threatens the South, all manner of staples disappear from the shelves in record time. How can a reputed Velveeta shortage not be taken seriously? We all know what to do next, do we not? Abandon ye all hope who enter a grocery store a day lat…

Sketch: Francois Hollande et son alleged bit sur le side The French president gives a press conference in Paris as rumours continue to circulate about his alleged affair with Julie Gayet, an actress By Michael Deacon, Parliamentary Sketchwriter telegraph.co.uk 7:50AM GMT 15 Jan 2014 François Hollande est dans un spot de bother. Il est dans un pickle. Franchement, il est dans l’eau chaud. Selon un magazine français, le président a been having une affaire très steamy avec une femme improbably belle. Et hier, slap bang dans le middle de cette scandale, il devait give un grand press conference. Quel luck rotten! Mais il y avait un peu de bon news pour le pauvre ho…

http://m.wpbf.com/entertainment/reports-gilligans-professor-russell-johnson-dies-at-89/-/17441440/23965186/-/3vpksg/-/index.html http://m.tmz.com/#Article/2014/01/16/professor-gilligans-island-died-dead-russell-johnson

This is great. deathandtaxesmag.com In News by Alex Moore Jan 15, 2014 CNN reporter is visibly stoned after report on Colorado’s legal marijuana CNN reporter Randi Kaye is a stoner and a terrible liar. In a recent field report on marijuana legalization in Colorado, Kaye took a ride around the Mile High City with some local so-called Ganjaprenneurs who are renting out a party limo for “weed tours” of the city’s newly legal hot spots. Weed-lover Barbara Harvey hot-boxes the thing with a couple joints that a very blazed Kaye describes to Anderson Cooper as “the size of small cannons.” But Kaye clearly didn’t limit indulging to the second-hand variety—you can almost …