Friday, January 05, 2007
Friday Kitten Blogging
Hola From Bermuda!
Well, I'm here, but at $14 a day for internet access at my hotel....well, you guys aren't worth THAT much!
So I waited until I got to the free service at the Hamilton Library. The weather is beautiful, warmer than anticipated, and I've been getting a lot of rest and relaxation. I hear NYC is inundated with rain, so nah nah nah nah nah!
The island is one of the weirdest I've ever been to, which is to say that as the second most remote inhabited island, they are a damn sight more civilized and British than any other I've been on.
Jackets for dinner! WHO KNEW?!?!?!?!?!
So I'm here in my T-shirt and shorts, eating fish soup (yum!...and try it with the black rum sauce!), and trying not to be seen by the ten or so other hotel guests in this thousand room business center.
And yes, I'm thinking about you all! Cheers!
So I waited until I got to the free service at the Hamilton Library. The weather is beautiful, warmer than anticipated, and I've been getting a lot of rest and relaxation. I hear NYC is inundated with rain, so nah nah nah nah nah!
The island is one of the weirdest I've ever been to, which is to say that as the second most remote inhabited island, they are a damn sight more civilized and British than any other I've been on.
Jackets for dinner! WHO KNEW?!?!?!?!?!
So I'm here in my T-shirt and shorts, eating fish soup (yum!...and try it with the black rum sauce!), and trying not to be seen by the ten or so other hotel guests in this thousand room business center.
And yes, I'm thinking about you all! Cheers!
Happy Pelosi Day!
*sends pretzels to prez and whatever Hastert is having to veep*
in other nooz:
On Air Descent Into Madness
in other nooz:
On Air Descent Into Madness
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Fathers Figure
A few months ago, I posted an observation by Gerald Nunberg that Republicans tend to be "father-oriented" disciplinarians: children are inherently bad and need to be molded into good citizens, while Democrats tended to be more matriarchal, more trusting of their children as basically decent people who need guidance.
I'm sad to say that this theory was tested severely this weekend at Chateau Actor212, and I found myself leaning a little towards the authoritarian, but my personal problems have never really been a focus of this blog. What I have used as a guiding principle in my life as a dad is that my father, who although an avowed socialist, nevertheless is a dominant authoritarian figure. Or was, until he landed in the nursing home.
So there's was a certain karmic energy to scanning the news this morning, when I came across this piece:
So reading this, I realise that....well...it wasn't as good as I pretend it was. And I suspect that there are an awful lot of Republican men about whom this applies. Look at the offender behavior we've seen just from the losers in the last election: mocking people for their racial characteristics, indulging in sexual abuse of children, having affairs in their marriages AND trying to kill their mistresses, making blanket construct statements of absolute power and authority over facts they cannot control.
These people, men mostly, sound awful depressed. The masquerade of being "in charge" is there, but it's a sham, a front for all kinds of fear and paranoia, and these people are too ashamed to admit a problem and seek the help they need.
Can you imagine the damage Rick Santorum did to his kids by making them hold the dead fetus of their unborn brother, dead of a miscarriage? Now, take it a step further: how badly beaten was this kid that he would gloat over the death of a weaker being?
You heard me: "gloat", because that's precisely what he did when he paraded a dead body around his family like a trophy. I suspect it's still sitting on the mantle like a moosehead.
To be gracious in defeat or victory is one thing, but now that the dust is settling and a new Congress is poised to take over, let's take a minute and recall that most of them suffered horrendous abuses at the hands of their parents and guardians, and give a kind, sympathetic thought to them.
Then mash them into the ground, politically. :-)
I'm sad to say that this theory was tested severely this weekend at Chateau Actor212, and I found myself leaning a little towards the authoritarian, but my personal problems have never really been a focus of this blog. What I have used as a guiding principle in my life as a dad is that my father, who although an avowed socialist, nevertheless is a dominant authoritarian figure. Or was, until he landed in the nursing home.
So there's was a certain karmic energy to scanning the news this morning, when I came across this piece:
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Physically abused and neglected children are much more likely to grow into severely depressed adults, a finding that researchers said on Monday points to an urgent need to test abused children for depression early on.Having spent more money on therapy than I care to admit, it's nice to see that I had a lot of help mucking my life up. I had always looked to my upbringing, such as it was, as a strength: I learned to be independent, to be self-contained and not needing of anyone else's help. Yes, it hurt, but I learned to stand on my own two feet.
Physically abused children have a 59 percent increased risk of lifetime major depression compared with similar children who were not abused, said the study in this month's issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.
Earlier studies had linked childhood abuse with serious depression but researchers said this study is the first to show that depression is a consequence of the abuse.
So reading this, I realise that....well...it wasn't as good as I pretend it was. And I suspect that there are an awful lot of Republican men about whom this applies. Look at the offender behavior we've seen just from the losers in the last election: mocking people for their racial characteristics, indulging in sexual abuse of children, having affairs in their marriages AND trying to kill their mistresses, making blanket construct statements of absolute power and authority over facts they cannot control.
These people, men mostly, sound awful depressed. The masquerade of being "in charge" is there, but it's a sham, a front for all kinds of fear and paranoia, and these people are too ashamed to admit a problem and seek the help they need.
Can you imagine the damage Rick Santorum did to his kids by making them hold the dead fetus of their unborn brother, dead of a miscarriage? Now, take it a step further: how badly beaten was this kid that he would gloat over the death of a weaker being?
You heard me: "gloat", because that's precisely what he did when he paraded a dead body around his family like a trophy. I suspect it's still sitting on the mantle like a moosehead.
To be gracious in defeat or victory is one thing, but now that the dust is settling and a new Congress is poised to take over, let's take a minute and recall that most of them suffered horrendous abuses at the hands of their parents and guardians, and give a kind, sympathetic thought to them.
Then mash them into the ground, politically. :-)
Monday, January 01, 2007
The Left ButtCheek Award
(Get it, "Left Behind"?)
Announcing the first annual Left ButtCheek Award, given to the single biggest idiot of the past year.
The possible recipients were numerous, including Mel Gibson, Michael Richards, Ted Haggard, Mark Foley, George W. Bush, Katherine Harris, George Allen, and Alan Hevesi.
All worthy contenders. All not quite...Darwinian enough to scoop up the award.
For blatant idiocy, I'm afraid, the award must go to that plucky little cheerleader, Kristy Yamaoka, who after falling some ten feet, broke her neck on a basketball court. As she was whisked off on a gurney, she continued cheering, thus further risking not only paralysis, but her very life itself.
For a college basketball team. Most cheerleaders only put up their virginity, and their reputations. One can only hope she didn't cause further damage by her antics.
A special mention goes out to the EMTs who escorted the gurney for not slapping her hands down then duct taping them to her sides.
Announcing the first annual Left ButtCheek Award, given to the single biggest idiot of the past year.
The possible recipients were numerous, including Mel Gibson, Michael Richards, Ted Haggard, Mark Foley, George W. Bush, Katherine Harris, George Allen, and Alan Hevesi.
All worthy contenders. All not quite...Darwinian enough to scoop up the award.
For blatant idiocy, I'm afraid, the award must go to that plucky little cheerleader, Kristy Yamaoka, who after falling some ten feet, broke her neck on a basketball court. As she was whisked off on a gurney, she continued cheering, thus further risking not only paralysis, but her very life itself.
For a college basketball team. Most cheerleaders only put up their virginity, and their reputations. One can only hope she didn't cause further damage by her antics.
A special mention goes out to the EMTs who escorted the gurney for not slapping her hands down then duct taping them to her sides.
Happy New Year Video Music Blogging
My Wishes For The New Year
1) That the troops come home, safe and secure.
2) That someone is held accountable for the past six years of raping and pillaging the national psyche and the national economy.
3) That failure be acknowledged, and miserable failures doubly so.
4) That the new Congress not fuck things up.
5) That the Mets win the World Series.
6) That each of you find the happiness you seek and so richly deserve, so long as it is not to the detriment of another person.
7) That we all take a good long look at ourselves and make sure that happiness we seek and so richly deserve is truly what we want.
8) That we all meet again this time next year, and be friends.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Can Someone Explain This, Again?
I mean, really:
The not-very-clever allusion to the "Flypaper Theory" (so ineloquently phrased as "We're fightin' them thar so's we don't have to fight them hyar.") has been disproven each and every year since we invaded Iraq, and 2006 proved to be no different. More people in more places around the world have died at the hands of terrorists each and every year since we invaded Iraq. Period.
And the cowards on the right will tell you that it doesn't matter, because you know, Osama hasn't hit us here at home. And that's true enough, but let's look at a few facts about that, shall we?
1) The people of Madrid, Bali, London, the Phillipines, Amman, Jordan and other places would be hard pressed to agree that the Flypaper Theory works. We ought to take into consideration that these are our allies and not just some nameless nations that we could give a rat's ass about, like Libya.
2) It hasn't stopped Osama and other terror organizations from trying. Yes, we've thwarted several attacks, apparently, but President Clinton stopped no less than 16 (including attacks that were to be carried out against our allies) before Al Qaeda finally exploited a weak spot: the inattentiveness of the current Repubican president, and his flunkies. After the much-vilified Clinton had left office.
3) In addition to attracting Al Qaeda's attention, we've now had to contend with the formation of Hizbollah and Hamas terror cells within our borders, as indicated by Iran and Palestinian extremist statements. Make no mistake: terror does not have to be a democratic process. It merely takes one nut with a bomb.
4) Terror attacks by Americans on other Americans is on the rise as well. But you don't read about the white guy who drives his car into an abortion clinic. Or shoots Latinos.
With all this going against him, why is Bush saying this, still?
Better question: why are we letting him and why are we letting our "media" get away with letting him skate this by us?
"Many difficult choices and further sacrifices lie ahead," he said in a statement released late Friday from his Texas ranch. "Yet the safety and security of the American people require that we not relent in ensuring that Iraq's young democracy continues to progress."Huh?
The not-very-clever allusion to the "Flypaper Theory" (so ineloquently phrased as "We're fightin' them thar so's we don't have to fight them hyar.") has been disproven each and every year since we invaded Iraq, and 2006 proved to be no different. More people in more places around the world have died at the hands of terrorists each and every year since we invaded Iraq. Period.
And the cowards on the right will tell you that it doesn't matter, because you know, Osama hasn't hit us here at home. And that's true enough, but let's look at a few facts about that, shall we?
1) The people of Madrid, Bali, London, the Phillipines, Amman, Jordan and other places would be hard pressed to agree that the Flypaper Theory works. We ought to take into consideration that these are our allies and not just some nameless nations that we could give a rat's ass about, like Libya.
2) It hasn't stopped Osama and other terror organizations from trying. Yes, we've thwarted several attacks, apparently, but President Clinton stopped no less than 16 (including attacks that were to be carried out against our allies) before Al Qaeda finally exploited a weak spot: the inattentiveness of the current Repubican president, and his flunkies. After the much-vilified Clinton had left office.
3) In addition to attracting Al Qaeda's attention, we've now had to contend with the formation of Hizbollah and Hamas terror cells within our borders, as indicated by Iran and Palestinian extremist statements. Make no mistake: terror does not have to be a democratic process. It merely takes one nut with a bomb.
4) Terror attacks by Americans on other Americans is on the rise as well. But you don't read about the white guy who drives his car into an abortion clinic. Or shoots Latinos.
With all this going against him, why is Bush saying this, still?
Better question: why are we letting him and why are we letting our "media" get away with letting him skate this by us?
FINALLY!
I was beginning to think being a Rangers fan meant watching the team swing slowly in the breeze like a South Asian dictator...
Petr Prucha contributed two goals in a 4-1 win over the Capitals in an entertaining, hard-hitting game that featured a lot of body work, and eventually some chippy play. The Rangers and Caps tangled in four fights (Washington's Donald Brashear was the protagnist for two and a half, more on that in a bit), and Henrik Lundqvist lost his bid for a shutout in the last ticks of the clock as Ben Clymer snuck in behind the D Feydor Tutin and snapped a shot off Lundqvist's glove.
The game saw the Rangers' seven game losing streak and 153 minute scoring drought snapped, while the Caps, hampered by injuries and sickness, recorded their fourth consecutive loss.
Brendan Shanahan proved once more he's trying to pick up where Mark Messier left off, taking the team by the reins and driving them. After Brashear goaded captain Jaromir Jagr into a dumb penalty in the third (which eventually saw the Rangers stymie a 5-3 power play), Shanahan made a point of being on the ice for Brashear's first shift after the penalty kill and dropped gloves (and helmet!) right at the face-off. Although Brashear won on points, landing a few overhand lefts, Shanahan ducked the initial onslaught by slipping to his left, and scored some nasty uppercuts, finally falling to his knees.
After the official separated the two warriors, Adam Ward mouthed off to Brashear who was skating towards the visitors lockerroom. Brashear decked Ward with two lefts to his mush, and received a gamer.
Later, Colton Orr did the payback deed, cross-checking Caps star Alexander Ovechkin on the chin. Both cheap shots, Brashear's and Orr's, will likely get reviewed in Toronto. I expect fines.
For the first time in eight games, the Rangers didn't hesitate, and kept driving towards the net. In a division where a four game winning streak (The Devils lead by five points, with two game in hand) would put them back in first place, this was a welcome sight.
Petr Prucha contributed two goals in a 4-1 win over the Capitals in an entertaining, hard-hitting game that featured a lot of body work, and eventually some chippy play. The Rangers and Caps tangled in four fights (Washington's Donald Brashear was the protagnist for two and a half, more on that in a bit), and Henrik Lundqvist lost his bid for a shutout in the last ticks of the clock as Ben Clymer snuck in behind the D Feydor Tutin and snapped a shot off Lundqvist's glove.
The game saw the Rangers' seven game losing streak and 153 minute scoring drought snapped, while the Caps, hampered by injuries and sickness, recorded their fourth consecutive loss.
Brendan Shanahan proved once more he's trying to pick up where Mark Messier left off, taking the team by the reins and driving them. After Brashear goaded captain Jaromir Jagr into a dumb penalty in the third (which eventually saw the Rangers stymie a 5-3 power play), Shanahan made a point of being on the ice for Brashear's first shift after the penalty kill and dropped gloves (and helmet!) right at the face-off. Although Brashear won on points, landing a few overhand lefts, Shanahan ducked the initial onslaught by slipping to his left, and scored some nasty uppercuts, finally falling to his knees.
After the official separated the two warriors, Adam Ward mouthed off to Brashear who was skating towards the visitors lockerroom. Brashear decked Ward with two lefts to his mush, and received a gamer.
Later, Colton Orr did the payback deed, cross-checking Caps star Alexander Ovechkin on the chin. Both cheap shots, Brashear's and Orr's, will likely get reviewed in Toronto. I expect fines.
For the first time in eight games, the Rangers didn't hesitate, and kept driving towards the net. In a division where a four game winning streak (The Devils lead by five points, with two game in hand) would put them back in first place, this was a welcome sight.
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