Plenty of people!!!! And this is only one reason why…

WHAT. THE. FUCK?  She stands for everything that I don’t.  And not only that, but she is a bigger idiot than George W.  (and who even knew that that was remotely possible)?  I am at a loss for words.  Separate church and state and let the people think for themselves!  PS, wasnt this asshole the one that was touting abstinence until marriage…and then her slut daughter ends up pregnant and in school AND UNWED????  Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Someone DO SOMETHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not to mention that this bumper sticker was spotted on a car in Austin.  AUSTIN is supposed to be the best place in Texas…whoever you are, you are tainting us!  I should have keyed the shit out of this car!  Where’s Craig when you need him?

Skokie city police in Cook County, Illinois are forced to cut the roof off of a house after a hoarder was buried alive under her phat stash!  (watch)

According to authorities, the home was filled with debris from the floor up to three feet below the ceiling.  The two occupants of the home dug tunnels as means for navigating through all their shit.

Sadly, the 80-something year old woman that was buried alive had just recently been to the doctor and was given a clean bill of health.  Just think, this problem could have been solved! 

I think it would be a good idea for homes of the elderly to be visited every so often by social services to ensure their safety. 

Hoarding is an anxiety disorder that is classified as a type of anxiety.  If you know someone who suffers from such pack-rat-itis….DO SOMETHING for crying out loud!

With more and more medical innovations that tell us surprising amounts of information about unborn children, the medical ethics of prenatal drugs become significantly complicated. It seems unproblematic to allow couples to see what gender their child will be, but what happens when pregnant women are informed that their children may have congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a group of inherited disorders of the adrenal gland? Drugs like the steroid dexamethasone are often prescribed for CAH, which can cause faulty adrenal glands and early signs of puberty in boys, and “ambiguous” genitalia and “masculine” tendencies in girls. Some are rightfully challenging the use of this drug, calling its necessity and dubious motivations into question. And much of the reason women are taking it appears to be because of the associations between “masculine” women and homosexuality — whether or not they are doing so consciously, the people who take the drug seem very clearly to want straight, feminine daughters, to the point where they’ll take an experimental drug to get the desired result.

The problematic elements are clear: women are taking dexamethasone (dex) because they are afraid of the “psychosocial problems associated with having ambiguous genitalia” (and here I’m quoting Time), as well as the threat of same-sex attraction, which is less explicitly addressed in the article but is clearly one of the main issues for the people who are prescribing and taking dex. Regardless of whether CAH can actually influence sexual orientation, the anxiety is reflective of fear of traits that blur gender lines. Girls with CAH do not exhibit traditionally feminine traits; they behave “tomboyishly” and do not express the same interest in motherhood. Dex can, essentially, create feminine children who will exhibit “normal” sexual orientations, as well as (and this is pretty shocking) de-masculinize “peer association, career and leisure time preferences in adolescence and adulthood.” Yes – this is implying “masculine” and “feminine” career paths, and suggesting that this drug can push girls toward the correct, feminine track.

I don’t know where to start with this. First of all, the idea of ambiguous genitalia being a problem has led, in the United States, to a shocking number of “corrective” surgeries on infants that, to my mind, seems not far off from the practice that in other countries we call “genital mutilation.” But here’s the kicker: the drug doesn’t cure CAH, and many women who take the drug are shocked to discover the ethical controversy, mostly centered around informed consent, that surrounds the drug. New York doctor Maria New has been leading in prescribing the drug, but her methods are extremely ethically dubious.

The impetus to prescribe and take dex is, clearly, spurred by a severe anxiety about the idea of giving birth to daughters who, whether or not they are lesbians, blur gender boundaries and challenge traditional conceptions of what is masculine and feminine. The solution, though, is not to take an unnecessary drug, but to rethink the way we deal with gender so that “masculine” daughters with “ambiguous genitalia” are no longer such a source of fear that women will take an experimental, off-label drug to “cure” them.

Read more: health policy, pregnant women, experimental drugs, gender anxiety

It’s no joke, kids…amigo and I like to get our food on!  Last night, my sweet man escorted me to see my foodie idol, Anthony Bourdain.  Now, I have seen him once before, this time in much better company, and he was great then as well, however, I do believe that I now have a much better understanding of him and what his food and his travels mean to him.  He knows his shit!  He applauded Bobby Flay, saying that he feels sorry for him because he is the food channel clown.  Flay keeps the network running while they pimp him out around the country doing “Throw Down with Bobby Flay”.  He’s right.  He says that vegetarian foodies have no right to travel and host food shows…I think he was pointing at YOU, Gwyneth Paltrow.  He has always touted Rachael Ray as being obnoxious – she is, and he claims the worst thing he has ever eaten in a Chicken McNugget.  (Brief tidbit:  In my house, we call Chicken McNuggets chicken boots, or chicken wheels.  Ever notice how every other nugget is shaped the same?  In a boot or in a wheel!  It makes me laugh…)  I wonder what the lawyers of McDonald’s would do if they heard Tony say that?  I guess nothing much, it’s not like the people who eat that shit have enough intelligence to comprehend the Travel Channel anyways.  Ps, Did you know that there are 38 ingredients in a McDonald’s Chicken McNugget?  That’s just plain fuckin wrong!   

Anyways, since being early to the show was priority for me, amigo and I decided to hit Hickory Street Bar and Grill for dinner.  MISTAKE!  This piece of shit is an Austin landmark…what the fuck for I can’t figure out, but it is.  I have been before for drinks on the patio, but that’s it.  The service was feeble, there was no salt on the table until my meal was nearly over, there were flies in the salad bar, and amigo’s cheesesteak that he ordered took FOREVER!  My drink was watered down, my lime was dry and barren and my baked potato was not cooked through and it was cold.  They pride themselves on this salad/soup/potato bar, so I went for it (I know, I know – budget world!).  Other than the fact that I was able to begin stuffing my pie hole immediately, there was not one shining moment for this disaster area.  Ground Zero.

From Hickory Street, we went to the Paramount Theater to pick up our tickets and realized we still had an hour to spare before the show.  We decided to pop into Austin’s oldest and most beautiful hotel, The Driskill, for a drink at their very fine bar.  The keeper was Scottish and supremely professional, and he knew how to make an excellent drink.  Hendrick’s and tonic with a lime, thank you.  We received our drinks and decided we would take a self-guided tour around the hotel.  AMAZING.  Amigo and I have vowed to go back for dinner…SOON! 

Anyways, the moral of the story, folks?  Go see Anthony Bourdain any chance you get, it was well worth my $10, DO NOT eat at Hickory Street Bar and Grill in Austin, Texas, and don’t even think about eating a chicken nugget, not even with a stranger’s mouth!  Finally, marry your partner if they like sharing moments like these with you.  Eating and drinking and laughing is such a wonderful way to live life!

The Good, the Bad, and the Juicy is not only a space for me to rave about the wonderful ins and outs of this city I call home, but as many of you know, it’s also a community bulletin board in which I express the good, the bad and the juicy about city-wide occurrences. 

A while back I brought to your attention a story about the HEY CUPCAKE! (owner – Wes Hurt) family in Austin bringing a law suit to a Noblesville, Indiana cupcake trailer by the name of The Cupcake Camper.  Apparently, HEY CUPCAKE! has decided to drop suit  because The Cupcake Camper has met many of the requirements set forth by HEY CUPCAKE!.  I have said it once and I will say it again.  How dare HEY CUPCAKE! sue a cupcake trailer in Indiana.  As if there were any possible way that the Inidana trailer was stealing their business.  Who cares if it looks similar, HEY CUPCAKE! should have taken this as a compliment!  It’s not possible for HEY CUPCAKE! to go national with their product because it’s overpriced and tastes like shit.  It’s dried out and sold for $2.50 ea in a boring and sterile store front (the tourists go to the trailer, not the locals).  Who do they think they are?  Not only that, but I personally went in and asked them (very professionally, with letter in hand) for a donation to a community event…they did not even have the decency to call me back or write and decline my request.  HEY CUPCAKE! sucks, people…don’t waste your time or your money.  If you live in Austin and would like to express your feelings about this scum-hole, go ahead and feel free to contact Wes right here!  Better yet, do like me and contact the The Cupcake Camper people and apologize for HEY CUPCAKE!  I am fairly certain that the only thing Mr. Hurt accomplished was more business for the Indiana establishment, and less for his own.  Way to go. 

update:  I went to the Cupcake Trailer’s facebook site, and it’s filled with Austin people expressing their disgust for HEY CUPCAKE!  (FUN!).  AND…sadly, the Indiana establishment has completely done away with their trailer.  Ridiculous.

While we are on the subject of local food trailers and what not, I will bring you the lastest story that has come out of greed.  Amy and Steve Simmons of Amy’s Ice Cream, and Tom Ramsey of Snappy Snacks are trying to tighten the leash on food trailer regulations which could ultimately put the trailers out of business.  You see, while they are certified and regulated, many people open the trailers as a way to serve cheaper food (no overhead) to a wide arrange of customers.  Bypassing “rent” (especially in this town), allows one to focus on the food at hand rather than how they are going to manage to attract customers and pay the bills.

One food trailer, Holy Cocao, responds here.  Let’s also go ahead and mention that Amy’s Ice Cream is wonderful and I hate that I can no longer visit due to this episode, but most importantly, Amy’s is what it is today because the residents of this town have allowed it to become representative of who we are.  We have embraced the idea and overpaid for ice cream for years.  This is how they repay us?  This town loves the food trailers.  Walking around during SXSW this year, the food trailers were a topic amongst many.  So popular indeed, that Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” came here to do a segment on this phenomenom…  Now, I don’t know much about Snappy Snacks other than they have seen a decrease in business and they are not happy.  Snappy Snack mobile vendors, commonly referred to as The Roach Coach, are most seen around construction sites and manual labor hangouts feeding these men and women that get up before any other restaurants are open.  They are most definitely NOT feeding the same crowds that visit the majority of the stationary trailers. I can guarantee you that the Snappy Snacks vending vehicle does not include gourmet doughnuts, cuban sandwhiches, fresh kebabs, or a chicken cone!  Anyways, I will not be going to Amy’s (shame), or purchasing any food from a Snappy Snacks trailer.  Darn. 

I will leave you with these two gems, but know that I will return to speak of the local bad bar antics!  Hint:  I can no longer go to Lala’s either.  Sheesh, Austin, get your shit togethah!

Cheers to good eating and drinking,

GBJ

And in comes the damage control from BP Oil.  According to this article, the oil giant is trying  to pay off fishermen so they will not sue.  Of course they are.  And for anyone out there with any business sense what-so-ever, it makes sense.  It happens all the time.  

Come on people…why are you so surprised?  Of course they would try this scheme first.  the looming lawsuits could (and most likely, would) bankrupt them.  Duh.  And while I  do believe that there should have been more planning and DEFINITELY a crisis plan – the real people to blame our ourselves. 

We don’t want to be dependent on oil from the Middle East, we cant drill in Alaska, and now everyone is going to be against drilling in the Gulf.  Yet we still fly all over the world, drive single passenger cars to work, dismiss (Austin’s shitty) public transportation, and use petroleum in a plethora of other ways. 

How about everyone just go ahead and shut the fuck up and walk/ride your bike, stop wearing clothes, painting, purchasing and having records made, and stop using photographic films.  No?  Ok then, how about we go ahead stop fucking bitching and donate your time and energy to FIXING THE problem!  shit, people – for real…

and everyone wants to blame the Mexican Drug Cartel…um, folks…i hate to say it, but the fuckin Cartel receives the majority of their income, albeit illegal, from WEED.  DIRT WEED none-the-less,  you god damned idiots. Uh, really? Decapitation…for weed? Personally, I don’t think that’s necessary.

does someone clean your house for you?  do your lawn?

think about it kids…and while you’re at it…go ahead and ponder the fucking border patrol.

suck it, assholes.

GBJ

For real, guys. Today it was drizzling, dark and cloudy on my way home from work. I turned on the radio for the weather forecast, and low and behold, there were like 20 accidents in town…Ok, so, Texans (along w/ women, asians, and drunks) are known for our inability to drive…so how come, whenever the weather gets shitty out, we still feel the urge to one up each other?  Come on kids…catch a fuckin drift!

Thank you, and good night.

GBJ

The former screen siren…and by former, I am referring to the siren part, has been handed the book on racism…damn, she needs to be locked away for letting herself go down the drain.

PARIS, France (AP) — A Paris court on Tuesday convicted Brigitte Bardot of provoking discrimination and racial hatred for writing that Muslims are destroying France.

Brigitte Bardot wrote an angry letter criticizing Muslims in 2006.

The court also handed down a $23,325 fine against the former screen siren and animal rights campaigner.

A leading French anti-racism group known as MRAP filed a lawsuit last year over a letter she sent to then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. The remarks were published in her foundation’s quarterly journal.

In the December 2006 letter to Sarkozy, now the president, Bardot said France is “tired of being led by the nose by this population that is destroying us, destroying our country by imposing its acts.”

She was referring to the Muslim feast of Aid el-Kebir, celebrated by slaughtering sheep.

French anti-racism laws prevent inciting hatred and discrimination on racial or religious or racial grounds. Bardot had been convicted four times previously for inciting racial hatred.

Something must be in the water, it seems like everyone is going in these days…sad. Tyler was admitted into Las Encinas Hospital drug rehab center for substance abuse. Not sure which one he is not abusing, I will update soon.

On a much more sad note, daughter Liv and hubby Royston Langdon have also decided to call it quits. The pair say they will remain great friends for their son, Milo.