Breakfast at Tiffany's – Because I Do Not Know

While We Were Out ...

We lost two important pieces of the Great American Quilt: legendary singer James Brown and former President Gerald Ford.

First, the Godfather of Soul ...

James Brown didn't play music. He didn't make music. He invented it.

Brown, the pioneering rock-soul-funkmeister who has rung every note out of every one of his classic hits, from "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" to "I Got You (I Feel Good)," died Christmas Day at a hospital in Atlanta.

He was 73, although somehow it seemed as if the man and his music had been around forever.

Rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy called Brown's death "a seismic passing." Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger called it a "huge loss to music." ...

"Music is usually on the two and four, but I changed it to the one and three," Brown told E! Online in 2000. "I invented that beat."

Brown put his signature beat to use in "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine," "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" and "The Payback," to reel off three more of his 100-plus hits on the R&B charts, most of which made Billboard's overall singles chart, too.

In the 1960s, Brown put his signature voice to the civil-rights movement, speaking out against rioting but declaring "Say It Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud") in another hit song. After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Look magazine asked if the iconic performer was the "most important black man in America?"

With legend status came the spoils: the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in 1992; the Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in 1993; and the Kennedy Center Honor, presented in 2003, the same year as his 70th birthday.

To say Brown is in the Rock and Roll of Hall of Fame, too, doesn't cut it. He was in the original class of the Hall of Fame, circa 1986. Among his peerless peers: Chuck Berry, Ray Charles and Elvis Presley.

And then, "The Accidental President" ...

Gerald R. Ford was a man of limited ambition who, through bizarre circumstances never before experienced by the country, achieved an office that others win through the greatest determination and calculation. The nation's 38th president, Ford wanted only to become speaker of the House. History had another place for him.

Ford was comfortable in the House, representing a Michigan congressional district for 25 years, rising to Republican leader and working toward his dream of one day running the chamber, when President Nixon called. ...

And so the man who did not covet the presidency, who never had sought national office and who wanted only to become the "head honcho" of the House, became president by chance — unlike many since who have devoted huge amounts of time and money in pursuit of the Oval Office.

"I have not campaigned either for the presidency or the vice presidency," Ford told the nation in his inaugural address on Aug. 9, 1974. "I have not sought this enormous responsibility, but I will not shirk it."

RIP to them both.

P.S. BaT will be on the road again beginning tomorrow night. Updates are possible, but questionable. Come Jan. 3, the holidays will be over, and hopefully, our lives will be back to semi-normal. If I don't see you before then, Happy New Year, everyone!

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:08 PM
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'Twas The Night Before A Gay Christmas

'Twas the night before Christmas, yes that time again,
The butch snuggled tightly against her sweet femme.
They needed a man like a fish needs a bike,
And wondered what Santa would bring for a dyke.

The gay guy as tucked up in bed with his lover,
Two chaps quite content to love one another.
All that they wanted for Christmas that year,
Was to come out of the closet with nothing to fear.

When Santa came by with his reindeer and sleigh,
Would he bother to visit the lesbians and gays?
Whether passive or active they wanted only one thing,
No more persecution and some understanding.

Now sex-toys and presents, oh they could be great,
But they'd settled for respect from everyone straight.
No more condemnation of their inclinations,
An end to gay-bashing and discrimination.

Santa went to his household, his presents to share,
About sexuality he didn't care.
And when he departed, skywards in his sleigh,
He cried "Seasons Greetings - be you straight, bi or gay!"

Courtesy of Christmas Parodies

(And to see the Official BaT Christmas Tree, click back a year. It hasn't changed.)

Merry Christmas all, and God bless!

Love,

Jake

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 1:24 PM
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Christmas Break

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus ... but he doesn't buy all those gifts himself, plan parties and finish the year-end budget requests at the office.

As you can tell, BaT is suffering from a lack of attention. That probably won't change this week, either. We'll probably see you a little closer to Christmas. Until then, stay safe and enjoy the silence.

5 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:59 PM
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A Hard Sell?

Pfizer is under fire for its Viagra marketing tactics, as the drug company seeks to, er, expand its base from men who cannot function without Viagra to those who may need a, er, little boost. (NNSFW: Gay.com link for you government employees.)

A new ad campaign asking pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. to end its promotion of Viagra as a sexual-enhancement drug will launch in New York Wednesday and Los Angeles next week. The print campaign by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which will appear in The Village Voice and gay newspapers The New York Blade and L.A.'s Frontiers, also warns gay men of the danger of using Viagra with crystal meth.

"We call on Pfizer to exercise responsibility by discontinuing marketing to men with mild erectile dysfunction, and by initiating an educational campaign on the dangers of Viagra and meth targeting men who have sex with men," the ad copy reads. Headlined "Viagra/Meth Alert!" the ad also features an image of a doctor's prescription with the text "Viagra + Crystal Meth = Rx for HIV infection."

"Pfizer's direct-to-consumer marketing of Viagra as a drug to enhance sexual performance aimed at men who don't necessarily suffer from erectile dysfunction is irresponsible, especially in light of the drug's known use as part of a 'circuit party cocktail' that is fueling the spread of STDs and HIV," said Michael Weinstein, president of the L.A.-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said in a statement.

We rarely take anything stronger than Tylenol or Advil, even on the roughest of days. But we're more convinced now than ever that we live in The BaT Cave, as we were completely unaware there's such a thing as the "circuit party cocktail." We wish we had known about this last week.

2 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 8:11 PM
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Dumb Intelligence

Barely a year after the Khobar Towers bombing that killed 19 American servicemen, U.S. intelligence agencies were monitoring a key figure in the global fight against the bad guys ... Princess Diana.

Huh?

American intelligence agencies were bugging Princess Diana's telephone over her relationship with a US billionaire, the Evening Standard has learned.

She was even forced to abandon a planned holiday with her sons in the US with tycoon Teddy Forstmann on advice from secret services, who passed on their concerns to their British counterparts.

Both US and British intelligence then forced Diana to change her plans to stay with Mr Forstmann in the summer of 1997, saying it was too "dangerous" to take her sons there.
Instead the princess took the fateful decision to take a summer break with Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed. This ultimately led to her going to Paris with his son Dodi, where they died in a car crash.

The revelation from independent inquiries by the Evening Standard comes as it emerged that Princess Diana's phone was bugged by US intelligence agencies on the night she died without the permission of the British secret intelligence services.

We'll reportedly learn more this week about why -- or even if -- U.S. intelligence agencies were keeping tabs on Diana. CBS News is reporting that the NSA will deny it tapped her telephones and that any mention of her in top-secret files was because people actually being monitored discussed her.

Meanwhile, the incoming chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes of Texas, is having a hard time with some simple geopolitical questions.

I thought it only right now to pose the same questions to a Democrat, especially one who will take charge of the Intelligence panel come January. The former border patrol agent also sits on the Armed Services Committee.

Reyes stumbled when I asked him a simple question about al Qaeda at the end of a 40-minute interview in his office last week. Members of the Intelligence Committee, mind you, are paid $165,200 a year to know more than basic facts about our foes in the Middle East.

We warmed up with a long discussion about intelligence issues and Iraq. And then we veered into terrorism’s major players.

To me, it's like asking about Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland: Who's on what side?

The dialogue went like this:

Al Qaeda is what, I asked, Sunni or Shia?

"Al Qaeda, they have both," Reyes said. "You're talking about predominately?"

"Sure," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Predominantly -- probably Shiite," he ventured.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Al Qaeda is profoundly Sunni. If a Shiite showed up at an al Qaeda club house, they'd slice off his head and use it for a soccer ball.

That's because the extremist Sunnis who make up al Qaeda consider all Shiites to be heretics.

Al Qaeda's Sunni roots account for its very existence. Osama bin Laden and his followers believe the Saudi Royal family besmirched the true faith through their corruption and alliance with the United States, particularly allowing U.S. troops on Saudi soil.

It's been five years since these Muslim extremists flew hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center.

Is it too much to ask that our intelligence overseers know who they are?

Good question. Maybe this is why we focus on a fairly insignificant person like a former British royal rather than people who are trying to kill us. It's the intelligence equivalent to: "Math be hard." I guess it's better than having a bribe-taking, impeached judge in charge. But it's not better than having Jane Harman as chairwoman of this highly important congressional oversight committee.

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:54 PM
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'A Clarion Voice For Freedom'

A great woman, a true warrior for liberty and one of my personal heroes is gone.

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, a political science professor whose support for
Ronald Reagan conservatism catapulted her into the post of U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, has died at 80. She was the first woman to hold the post.

Initially a liberal Democrat, Kirkpatrick championed human rights, opposed Soviet Union communism and supported Israel.

"She defended the cause of freedom at a pivotal time in world history," President Bush said Friday. "Jeane's powerful intellect helped America win the Cold War."

I was fortunate to attend a dinner one evening years ago, met her and listened to her speak. She was the height of brillance and class. Her most memorable line, which still rings true today, came several years earlier.

In a speech to the Republican National Convention that nominated Reagan for a second term in 1984, Kirkpatrick castigated the Democrats as not blaming guerrillas and their Soviet allies "when Marxist dictators shoot their way into power in Central America."

"They always blame America first," she said.

Indeed they do, but not because people like Mrs. Kirkpatrick didn't try.

You will live in our memories. RIP.

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 11:43 AM
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Cocktail Carnival -- A Grown-up's Candy Cane

We all remember stocking stuffers when we were kids. In the old days, no one put an iPod in there. You mostly got candy and fruit and nuts. If you were lucky, there was a Hot Wheels car or two in there. If you were unlucky, there was one green- or red-wrapped Hershey's Kiss for every three peppermint candy canes. (We blamed the Ruskies ... damn communists.)

Candy canes ... The bane of Christmas sweets. It was like getting butterscotch disks at Halloween. Noooooo!!!!!

Well, tonight that memory goes away. Changes. Tonight, we have a candy cane that even the Scroogiest BaT reader will enjoy: The Christmas-tini.

Ingredients

3 oz. premium vodka
1/2 oz. dry vermouth
1 tsp. peppermint schnapps

Instructions

Shake ingredients with cracked ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a candy cane.

To Dedushka Moroz, za zdorovia!

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:39 PM
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Day Of Infamy

Dec. 7, 1941. Never forget. A special prayer to those 2,400 souls who lost their lives that day, and to the millions of others who answered the call of freedom that day.

God bless.

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:27 PM
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Cocktail Carnival -- Hanukkah Happiness

Jewish? Or just one of those people who gravitate to the blue-and-silver Christmas ornaments? Then you're in need of a color-coordinated cocktail -- one corresponding with a wavelength range of about 440 to 490 nanometers.

We present: The Blu Fizz.

Ingredients

1 shot De Kuyper Blue Curacao (per cocktail)
Chilled champagne

Instructions

Pour the shot of Blue Curacao into a flute glass. Fill with chilled champagne. Stir gently. Garish with a sliver of lemon peel.

L'Chayim and Gut Yontiff!

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 7:27 PM
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Cocktail Carnival -- Holiday Cheer Punch

Do you have a large group coming over and want a simple -- and fairly inexpensive -- party punch with a Christmas flavor? Try our Holiday Cheer Punch. Three ingredients (excluding ice) ... it doesn't get much easier than that. You can prepare enough for a dozen in less than five minutes and for less than $20.

A variation of this is served at a party we assist with each year. It's not too sweet and not too worrisome on the DUI front. Try it for yourself.

Ingredients

2 bottles of champagne (keep it cheap ... no one will know or can tell)
2 cans of frozen cranberry juice (or two jars)
2 limes

Instructions

Mix champagne and frozen, undiluted cranberry juice. Slice lime as a garnish (red drink + green garnish = Christmas colors). Mix right before serving to retain the bubbles. If using in a large punch bowl, add a half-bag of ice.

Each recipe will serve a couple of drinks for about 12 people. You can also add a pint of vodka per recipe (or slightly less) to "kick it up a notch." You can hold the vodka and champagne for a perfect nonalcoholic punch as well -- although you might want to consider some nonalcoholic champagne, club soda or 7-Up to give it some fizz. It can also make the perfect breakfast drink for Christmas morning.

Cheers!

2 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 5:38 PM
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Cocktail Carnival -- A Week of Christmas Libations

The holidays have not been kind to BaT blogging. Nor has the last two months been any more forgiving to our Cocktail of the Week installment. All of that changes this week! We are making up for lost time -- and a slow news time -- to present The Five Cocktails of Christmas. The first is back by popular demand from last year. Several people served it at their Christmas parties, and it received rave reviews. Here is ...

Jake's Egg Nog

Ingredients

6 separated eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pint heavy cream*
1 pint milk
1 pint bourbon
1 oz. rum

Instructions

Separate the eggs. Beat the yolks well. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar. Clean and degrease the beaters and bowl. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Beat in 1/2 cup sugar. Fold in yolks to whites. Gently stir in the heavy cream, milk, bourbon and rum. Serve well chilled in small cups. If you double this recipe, you should be able to fill a standard punch bowl.

* For more on heavy cream vs. other cream, see last year's post.

This is the best egg nog you will find. Please don't insult your guests by serving them something out of a carton. Give 'em the real thing. Cheers!