Former music star and God-fearing Republican, Kentucky resident Pat Boone  recently made a plea to voters in his state (with the voting day quickly approaching) to steer clear of queer friendly Democratic  gubernatorial candidate Steve Beshear and his running mate Daniel Mongiardo in a thinly veiled anti-gay speech (hear audio of speech by clicking here) (NOTE: click twice if it doesn't link first time) that sternly warned voters in the state: "Do you want a governor who'd like Kentucky to be another San Francisco?"    When asked by the Washington Post what he thought of this statement by Boone Beshear diplomatically replied:  “Pat Boone was a great singer. And I still enjoy listening to his music. I would think he ought to stick with singing.”

In vocal support of the Kentucky Governor, Republican Ernie Fletcher, who is up for re-election and is looking behind in the polls, Pat Boone, a direct descendant (grandson)  of Daniel Boone, made the speech via phone message over the weekend stressing that, "As an American and a Christian I am very concerned about the upcoming Governor's election"  - going on to say of Fletcher's pro-civil rights opponent Beshear that he is an individual "who has consistently supported every homosexual cause" including such things as "same-sex marriage, gay adoption, special rights to  gay, lesbian, bisexual, even transgender individuals!"

And if you think that thinly veiled anti-gay rhetoric by Boone is bad check out what Fletcher’s lieutenant governor candidate Robbie Rudolph had to say in a speech delivered on Saturday night to  a crowd of over two hundred GOP supporters in Lexington, KY:  “Do you want a couple of San Francisco treats or do you want a governor?”    Yikes!!!   Now I don't know about you. But to me in this seemingly, politically correct and ultra sensitive age - where for example the recently disgraced A&E TV star Dog the Bounty Hunter saw his career go down the toilet for uttering the "N" word in a private phone conversation - shouldn't Rudolph be held somehow responsible for what appears to me as pure hate speech?
                                
         Please add your thoughts/opinions in the COMMENTS box below. Thanks!

After recently stumbling across the Craigs List  New York City area posting (reprinted below - scroll down) directly addressing the ridiculous current state of the high cost of housing in New York City (and it is so bad that people who go out of town for a week sublet their place - damn!) - it got me thinking about the whole issue of the high cost of housing for all of us - in particular in certain desired American cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and of course New York City. 

As eloquently and emotionally expressed in the recent CL posting, which appeared under the heading "Perpetual Childhood" and written by a Brooklyn resident, NYC seems to be the very worst when it comes to  the high cost of urban housing in the States these days.   Please take a moment to read it and after you have please add to the COMMENTS box below your thoughts on housing in the area where you dwell or have previously lived (rented). Is it as bad where you are?  Are there any solutions to the ridiculous cost of housing that most of us are subjected to? What percentage of one's income do you think the average person should pay in rent? Personally I think it should only be 15% or 20%.  I also strongly believe that the government, local and federal, should heavily subsidize housing for artists. But when I say this to most people - they tell me I am crazy to hold such foolish beliefs.  But what do you think of the state of housing in the USA  today - especially in cities  such as SF, LA, or NY?     Thanks for reading and for sharing your COMMENTS!

THE HIGH COST OF HOUSING IN NYC FORCES DWELLER INTO PERPETUAL CHILDHOOD:
           This City is keepin us in F***ing perpetual childhood! Six figures and cannot find an apartment unless I'm willing to swallow pride and sanity and kiss the ass of some F***ing nickel and diming greedy scumbag feudal lndlord. They want you to make 20x the rent and they're looking at you with a straight face as they offer some f***ing shoe box with NO GARBAGE DISPOSAL, NO W/D, NO F***NG SCREENS ON THE WINDOW, MOLD, no closet space. Don't even blink in shame. What exactly am I getting for my f-ng money????! Tell me THAT you d***ass.

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AMOEBITE PROFILE:  HEIDI

AMOEBLOG:  What exactly is your job at the Amoeba Music Hollywood store? How long have you worked there and how did you end up working at Amoeba?

HEIDI: I've had a lot of different jobs at Amoeba but these days I'm mostly in rock vinyl and black metal.  I was hired at Amoeba three years ago through my friend Inez.
 

AMOEBLOG:  What makes working at Amoeba unique compared to other jobs you've had?

HEIDI:   Working at Amoeba is a truly unique environment.  It is refreshing to work with so many people who are as nerdy as i am about music. It's also satisfying to work for Amoeba Music as a company because they truly take care of their employees. It feels very much like a family.
 


AMOEBLOG:  What are the Top 3 Items in the past week or so that you've noticed people are seeking out at the Hollywood Amoeba Music?

HEIDI: Dethklok "The Dethalbum"
             Ulver  "Shadows of the Sun"
             Bruce Springsteen "Magic" on vinyl ( new studio recording from the
             Boss with the E Street Band and featuring 11 new Springsteen songs - all
             produced by Brendan O'Brien)



AMOEBLOG:  I know you that you are a real fan of good metal music. In terms of that genre how, in your opinion, is the scene in LA these days for bands and for clubs?

Just now I walked in off the street after seeing not one, but two different dogs decked out in  eye-catching Halloween costumes. One little pug had bat wings and another had some kind of crazy colorful wig that flowed in the wind and got caught in his tiny legs - which got me thinking about the whole phenomenon of dressing up one's pet for Halloween which seems to be growing in popularity each year.

So in  keeping with both the Amoeba Dog Blog posting (scroll down a bit) I did earlier, and also with the theme of today, Halloween,  and this semi-controversial trend of dressing up dogs-in-costumes,  I am posting some video footage and still-picture collages of dogs decked out in a wide variety of Halloween costumes;  something that seems to get a real mixed reaction from folks with opinions being generally divided into either the  "Oh how cute that little doggie looks!"  or the  "That is so unkind to subject an animal to this kind of thing!"  

Regardless it is a very popular thing to do. In fact there are even annual Halloween dog costume contests such as the one below from last year in Nevada held by Lucky Dog magazine. And while other pets, including cats (a couple of whom snuck into the collage above), are also dressed up in costumes for Halloween it seems that dogs are the most obliging of all animals to go along with the program.  Anything to add on the topic? Do so in the COMMMENTS box - scroll down. Thanks!



The collage below was titled by its maker "Why Dogs Hate Halloween"

STELLA

This is the third installment of the AMOEBLOG featuring Amoeba Dogs (ie: dogs in some way closely connected to Amoeba Music - usually the pets and best friends of Amoeba Music employees in the Hollywood, Berkeley, or San Francisco stores. The three fine canines featured in this AMOEBADOG blog are Cugat and Stella (That is Stella pictured left) both of whom are the best friends of Oliver (Amoeba Music floor manager and electronic music buyer) and also Suki who is the pet and best friend of Brandi Shearer - the Amoeba Music recording artist who recently released the album "Close To Dark" and who, you will recall from the last Amoeba Dog Blog Part II knitted a doggie sweater for AmoebaDog Melina.

I asked both Brandi and Oliver to talk a little about their respective pooches: the basics such as what breed, age or weight the dogs might be and also how they originally came about getting their canines (something that is often really interesting I find). I also asked them both what their dogs really mean to them and if they have any significant impact on their lives.


                                                                                                                                                                                
CUGAT