Porn in the USA

According to Harvard Business School, an analysis of credit card spending patterns shows that conservatives spend more more money downloading porn from the Internet than liberals. They are also more likely to visit wife-swapping sites.

"Some of the people who are most outraged turn out to be consumers of the very things they claimed to be outraged by." (Well now, who'da thought it?)

8 of the top 10 pornography consuming states voted for McCain, while 6 of the 10 states with the lowest consumption voted for Obama.

The 27 states with laws forbidding gay marriage bought an average of 11% more porn. Church-goers bought less online porn on Sundays, but more during the week.

Could it really be true be that too much porn makes you a Republican?

Surf's Up

I don't have much to report this week, apart from the fact that I'm still coughing and making noises like a broken hairdryer, but I seem to be enjoying it more. Oh and I found some really nice coffee for a quid in my local Co-Op, thus proving that socialism isn't all bad.

I've been finishing off a project for a local firm and writing a report for a client up in the Midlands, and have been active on Twitter, trying to pimp my arse to Americans. So I watched the Obama inauguration on teh Interwebs and somebody said Obama was 'our first surfer president', which reminded me of an erudite remark Fathorse made a while back (that's erudite with a capital rude) about what a doss degree subject Surf Science at the University of Plymouth is.

Obama is the first Hawaiian president, and when he flashed a 'shaka' sign during the inauguration ceremony, according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin, " it caused chicken skin to ripple across Hawaii like a tidal wave of, well, rippling chicken skin." Phew, wow.

I have a neighbour who works at Plymouth Uni. He's a senior lecturer in Tourism Management and his specialist subject is social anthropology of surfing. Well, the dude's American, so he's probably an expert.

Except he's from Kansas.

Not noted for the quality of its beaches

Students who are not capable of the rigorous academic standards required of Surf Studies or Tourism Management can now go to Falmouth and do an honours degree in Performance Sportswear Design.

Hard-working students revitalising the SouthWest's economy


Yeah, right

America the Beautiful

World's biggest ketchup bottle
Route 159, Collinsville, Illinois

Young Americans

According to BBC Radio this morning, Obama / Biden polled more votes than McCain / Palin in every demographic group except one.

The senior citizens voted Republican.

America is changing.

Do you remember
Your President Nixon?
Do you remember
The bills you have to pay
Or even yesterday?

Have you been an un-American?
Just you and your idol singing
Falsetto 'bout leather, leather everywhere,
And not a myth left from the ghetto?

Well, well, well, would you carry a razor
In case, just in case of depression
Sit on your hands on a bus of survivors
Blushing at all the Afro-Sheeners

Is that what they mean by a "post-racial" America?
Those Aladdin Sane t-shirts are extremely cool.

Ain't that close to love?
Well, ain't that poster love?
Well, it ain't that Barbie doll
Her heart's been broken just like you have.

All night!
You want the young American
Young American, young American,
You want the young American
All right!
You want the young American

Written and sung by DAVID BOWIE

Time To Buy The Girls A Puppy

A big thank you to everybody in America who took the trouble to enjoy their right to vote yesterday.

The Times They Are A Changin'

News from America this morning: in Tennessee, federal agents have foiled a plan by white supremacists to assassinate Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, in Texas, Amanada Jones, the 109 year old daughter of a slave, has cast her postal ballot in next Tuesday's election.

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'.
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'.
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.

BOB DYLAN

Copyright ©1963; renewed 1991 Special Rider Music

Paris Hilton Enters Race For President

Last week John McCain put out an attack ad comparing Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Now, Hilton has put out a spoof video hitting back at McCain, the "oldest celebrity in the world" and a wrinkly, white haired dude, and declaring herself "totally hot" and "ready to lead".

Paris Hilton shows off her presidential credentials.
You can see more funny videos at Funny or Die

I think it's no more than McCain deserved. His team tried to portray Obama as superficial and inexperienced (he could have just said: young and popular, but that would have been too kind) and got bitten in the backside by a real celebrity. (Some men would pay good money for that experience...) I think Paris is not as dumb as she's made out to be in the media, and certainly knows how to milk a crowd.

So: what about Obama's riposte, that McCain was attacking Obama because the Republicans have no positive message, and are trying to scare the voters?

"They're gonna try to say that I'm a risky guy. They're gonna try to say, well, you know, he's got a funny name. And he doesn't look like all the presidents on the dollar bills and the five dollar bills."

McCain's people didn't like that one bit. Campaign chief Rick Davis said that "Barack Obama has played the race card, and he played it from the bottom of the deck." Really? Let's go to Union Missouri, and replay the video of Barack's bottom of the deck moment, courtesy of a local reporter. It comes after 19 minutes, so you can press fast forward, as Jay-Z says.

I didn't see any racial tension being stirred up there. I saw a black man telling a joke, and a crowd of white people laughing. Because it was funny. And true.

Britney Spears has a funny name, and she doesn't look like the presidents on the dollar bills and the five dollar bills.