At the behest of the ZombieSlayer I shall write my review of Shaun of the Dead. Though you'd think an expert on the impending zombie invasion would have seen this important public service announcement film already ;-)
So the movie starts off as any Zombie movie does, introducing the audience to our cast of characters during the calm before the storm. Shaun is a loveable loser with a dead end job at an appliance store who lives with college friends Ed and Pete. Ed is a lazy, unemployed slob who drinks and plays video games and Pete has a "real" job and wants Ed's useless ass gone. Shaun's girlfriend Liz is tired of constantly hanging out at the Winchester Pub, always with Ed in tow. Unfortunately, the pub is Shaun's idea of heaven.
With comic brilliance, we're taken step-by-step through Shaun's typical morning. Unfortunately, Shaun does not notice the clues to the impending zombie invasion occurring the background.
After yet another fuck-up, Liz dumps our hero and he and Ed go on a drunken bender. They awaken the next day, totally oblivious, to the Zombie plague that has infected the entire town overnight. Their realization of the situation is hilarious as they chuck anything and everything at zombies in their backyard, including poor Shaun's Blue Monday 12-inch single.
Ala Dawn of the Dead, they devise a plan to grab some of their friends and go to the safest place they know of. They collect Liz, her flatmates, Ed, and Shaun's mum and head... to the Winchester Pub.
I won't spoil the details from there. There's quality kills, zombies getting their heads blown off, plenty of pop-outs and gore. It's a great twist on the zombie genre, complete with a bit of British humour. If you like zombie movies, you'll enjoy this. If you like quirky English humor, you'll probably like this, though not as much as a zombie-movie fan.
The moral of the story: pay closer attention to the homeless man eating pigeons in the park.
31 May 2005
Deep Throat (tee hee) Revealed
So W. Mark Felt, former FBI number two man has come clean. He was Deep Throat, the informant that took down the Nixon administration. It was speculated for a long time that Deep Throat was a government official, and now we know for sure. Maybe we should be taking those "insider" memos and whistle-blowers ala Richard Clarke & Paul O'Neill a little more seriously?
Along the same lines, why the hell isn't the US media talking about this? Oh, yeah, they're all wet nurses for the GOP:
"Seven months before the invasion of Iraq, the head of British foreign intelligence reported to Prime Minister Tony Blair that President Bush wanted to topple Saddam Hussein by military action and warned that in Washington intelligence was "being fixed around the policy," according to notes of a July 23, 2002, meeting with Blair at No. 10 Downing Street."
Again, we all suspected this and as time goes by, more information supporting the argument that Bush manipulated evidence to support the Project for the New American Century has come forward. And yet, we hear virtually nothing about this in the American press. If this were a stain on a blue dress, it would be all over the CNN news ticker.
I guess Americans are too busy worrying about posting the Ten Commandments in schools and voting for American Idol.
Along the same lines, why the hell isn't the US media talking about this? Oh, yeah, they're all wet nurses for the GOP:
"Seven months before the invasion of Iraq, the head of British foreign intelligence reported to Prime Minister Tony Blair that President Bush wanted to topple Saddam Hussein by military action and warned that in Washington intelligence was "being fixed around the policy," according to notes of a July 23, 2002, meeting with Blair at No. 10 Downing Street."
Again, we all suspected this and as time goes by, more information supporting the argument that Bush manipulated evidence to support the Project for the New American Century has come forward. And yet, we hear virtually nothing about this in the American press. If this were a stain on a blue dress, it would be all over the CNN news ticker.
I guess Americans are too busy worrying about posting the Ten Commandments in schools and voting for American Idol.
30 May 2005
Weekend Wrap up
Friday: Our good friend J (aka Rudy) took John to get his hair cut. I trust J with these sorts of decisions, he's got great style. So J got a manicure whilst they trimmed John's wafro. Looks MUCH better now. Still on the longish side, which I like, but not quite so Sideshow Bob. Apparently J told the girl to make it look like the old Brando style - it works actually. We went to dinner at Pizza DOC. It sounds like a silly pizza joint, but it's not. It's owned by the same people who own Bocca, who are from Rome. So the food is authentic roman. Lemme tell ya, I'm going to miss Lincoln Park when we move but there is going to be plenty of replacement activities in Lincoln Square, minus all the trixies.
Note: Trixies is the name for the stuck-up, rich-bitch, yuppie airheads that have taken over Lincoln Park. They require nothing less than a 1.5 carat Henry Winston Diamond engagement ring and refer to their boyfriend's (Chad's) Northwestern MBAs as Pedigrees. HEY, it made the Urban Dictionary.
We went back to J's and played that all-American game, Monopoly. Don't worry, we're all such good friends that no divorces or vendetta's will come of it. We were calling eachother "Bitch" a lot though.
Saturday was another day of packing. Our downstairs neighbors are moving out this weekend. So Annie got to play with her best friend for the last time :-( We'll have to find her another dog to play with.
Sunday: We convinced my folks to take a ride downtown for breakfast. I love our bike, but it looks like a toy in comparison with Dad's Harley (Sportster). Then again, most bikes do look like toys next to Harleys. We were going to go back to Oak Park for a little while but it looked like rain. So we hung out at home instead and John kicked my ass at scrabble. There was a bbq at Sean & Niki's so we went there for a little while. It was an interesting crowd - lots of early-mid 20s punk scooter kids listening to DEVO. I actually bumped into a friend of mine from High School who was two years behind me- small world I guess. So that was fun for a while. We came back home and watched Shaun of the Dead. Such a fun movie.
Today is more packing. That will be the mantra of my weekends for the next month (packing, homework). It looks like a nice day, maybe we'll go for a ride by the lakefront or something.
Note: Trixies is the name for the stuck-up, rich-bitch, yuppie airheads that have taken over Lincoln Park. They require nothing less than a 1.5 carat Henry Winston Diamond engagement ring and refer to their boyfriend's (Chad's) Northwestern MBAs as Pedigrees. HEY, it made the Urban Dictionary.
We went back to J's and played that all-American game, Monopoly. Don't worry, we're all such good friends that no divorces or vendetta's will come of it. We were calling eachother "Bitch" a lot though.
Saturday was another day of packing. Our downstairs neighbors are moving out this weekend. So Annie got to play with her best friend for the last time :-( We'll have to find her another dog to play with.
Sunday: We convinced my folks to take a ride downtown for breakfast. I love our bike, but it looks like a toy in comparison with Dad's Harley (Sportster). Then again, most bikes do look like toys next to Harleys. We were going to go back to Oak Park for a little while but it looked like rain. So we hung out at home instead and John kicked my ass at scrabble. There was a bbq at Sean & Niki's so we went there for a little while. It was an interesting crowd - lots of early-mid 20s punk scooter kids listening to DEVO. I actually bumped into a friend of mine from High School who was two years behind me- small world I guess. So that was fun for a while. We came back home and watched Shaun of the Dead. Such a fun movie.
Today is more packing. That will be the mantra of my weekends for the next month (packing, homework). It looks like a nice day, maybe we'll go for a ride by the lakefront or something.
29 May 2005
Lotz-a-pa-losers
First: Donna asks, "what the hell are you supposed to do when George Lucas hands you chicken shit?"
Anyway:
So they're resurecting Lallapalooza again, only this time, rather than a tour they're holding the whole thing as a two day festival in Grant Park. I know I must be getting old(er) since this would have had me in a tizzy 10-12 years ago. But now my first thought was: Thank god it's on a weekend so I don't have to try getting to/from work during that god-awful mess. Traffic downtown is going to be absolutely ridiculous that weekend. I never thought anything would be worse, crowd-wise, than Taste of Chicago. I think I will be proven wrong July 23rd.
Now, when I went to Lalapallooza in 1993(?) I had a great time, but I was younger then. It was also a great lineup (Fishbone, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains, and a few others). The lineup does sound pretty cool this year, but there's enough sucky acts to keep me far, far away. But I wonder how close you can get...
... Radiohead was the first non-symphony, paid-admission concert experiment in Grant Park and that was awesome. The location is perfect for concerts, "Fake Plastic Trees" sounds so much better under a clear moonlight sky on the lakefront gazing up at the skyline. In fact, that's the image I get in my head whenever I listen to that song to this day. I also noticed that at the Radiohead show there were people standing as far as 3 blocks from the fence who could hear the music just as clearly as us schleps who paid for tickets. I'm sure concert organizers learned their lesson and won't allow any interlopers for this event, but I wonder how close you could get? It is, after all, a public park. It might be worth trying for some of the acts.
On a similar note, they've also announced the headliners for the free Taste of Chicago concerts: Moby might be kinda cool to see for free. I tend to avoid the Taste like I avoid Republicans and the plague, especially on July 3rd when the entire world descends on a few square miles of lakefront property. Thankfully, this year the 3rd is a weekend, so I don't have to cram myself into the el with the rest of humanity staking their territory as early as 9am. Went to the fireworks once. Never, ever, again will I do that. I might try to finagle my way into the RU library though - excellent view of the lakefront. But then I would have the same problem competing for the train with the rest of the hoarde.
Anyway:
So they're resurecting Lallapalooza again, only this time, rather than a tour they're holding the whole thing as a two day festival in Grant Park. I know I must be getting old(er) since this would have had me in a tizzy 10-12 years ago. But now my first thought was: Thank god it's on a weekend so I don't have to try getting to/from work during that god-awful mess. Traffic downtown is going to be absolutely ridiculous that weekend. I never thought anything would be worse, crowd-wise, than Taste of Chicago. I think I will be proven wrong July 23rd.
Now, when I went to Lalapallooza in 1993(?) I had a great time, but I was younger then. It was also a great lineup (Fishbone, Primus, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains, and a few others). The lineup does sound pretty cool this year, but there's enough sucky acts to keep me far, far away. But I wonder how close you can get...
... Radiohead was the first non-symphony, paid-admission concert experiment in Grant Park and that was awesome. The location is perfect for concerts, "Fake Plastic Trees" sounds so much better under a clear moonlight sky on the lakefront gazing up at the skyline. In fact, that's the image I get in my head whenever I listen to that song to this day. I also noticed that at the Radiohead show there were people standing as far as 3 blocks from the fence who could hear the music just as clearly as us schleps who paid for tickets. I'm sure concert organizers learned their lesson and won't allow any interlopers for this event, but I wonder how close you could get? It is, after all, a public park. It might be worth trying for some of the acts.
On a similar note, they've also announced the headliners for the free Taste of Chicago concerts: Moby might be kinda cool to see for free. I tend to avoid the Taste like I avoid Republicans and the plague, especially on July 3rd when the entire world descends on a few square miles of lakefront property. Thankfully, this year the 3rd is a weekend, so I don't have to cram myself into the el with the rest of humanity staking their territory as early as 9am. Went to the fireworks once. Never, ever, again will I do that. I might try to finagle my way into the RU library though - excellent view of the lakefront. But then I would have the same problem competing for the train with the rest of the hoarde.
28 May 2005
I have cutesy names
I really hate the term blogosphere:
From the Urban Dictionary
But there really is no better term for this. What a strange thing it is though. Cillic was the first to get a blog, to communicate to friends & family from St. Louis. I had to register with Blogger to leave comments on his at that time, so I said "what the hell" and made my own. I had a dedicated readership of four people at that time. Now I've got all sorts of people running around my pages, including some guy obsessed with "wobblies"
I owe it all to the Great White Bear, who one day found my site (not sure how). And then after last week's explosions with the Logic Monkey, I now find myself reading about 10-15 different blogs. At least some good came from that. What a strange little thing it is, connecting to people you've never met, maybe never will meet, and know only through their random musings about politics, movies, their families ect.
It's just an odd feeling. More on this later, when I've got time. Now we've got to get packing. We take posession of the new apartment June 1 and we're moving small stuff on the 4th & 5th. Movers coming the 20th - so between now and then we've gotta get crackin.
From the Urban Dictionary
1. blogosphere
-The sum total of all interactive web log blog communication.
-It can also refer to a particular web community that allows for opinionated commentary on news stories.
-"Dailykos.com is a major liberal outlet in the blogosphere."
-The sum total of all interactive web log blog communication.
-It can also refer to a particular web community that allows for opinionated commentary on news stories.
-"Dailykos.com is a major liberal outlet in the blogosphere."
But there really is no better term for this. What a strange thing it is though. Cillic was the first to get a blog, to communicate to friends & family from St. Louis. I had to register with Blogger to leave comments on his at that time, so I said "what the hell" and made my own. I had a dedicated readership of four people at that time. Now I've got all sorts of people running around my pages, including some guy obsessed with "wobblies"
I owe it all to the Great White Bear, who one day found my site (not sure how). And then after last week's explosions with the Logic Monkey, I now find myself reading about 10-15 different blogs. At least some good came from that. What a strange little thing it is, connecting to people you've never met, maybe never will meet, and know only through their random musings about politics, movies, their families ect.
It's just an odd feeling. More on this later, when I've got time. Now we've got to get packing. We take posession of the new apartment June 1 and we're moving small stuff on the 4th & 5th. Movers coming the 20th - so between now and then we've gotta get crackin.
27 May 2005
Mr. Happy Crack Revisited (I love my friends)
So my friend out in Boston originally sent me the Mr. Happy Crack information. She got a coupon in the mail that she scanned and sent around with her comments on it. I reproduce for you, with her permission, what had me near tears with laughter:
"Okay... does anyone ELSE see a problem with this ad? (Yes, It's real.)
I mean, first of all, any ad that features "Mr. Happy Crack" is downright wrong to begin with. Second, what troglodytical marketing genius drank so much vodka that the stragegy of telling customers that "a dry crack is a HAPPY CRACK" actually seemed plausible???
Um... yeah pal. You get happy about your dry crack. I'll be over here pouring you another drink.
Finally, do I really need $50 off a crack repair? I mean, honestly. If godforbid my crack actually NEEDED repair for some awful reason, I certainly wouldn't tell SpongeBob's fucked up cousin about it, nevermind actually put the charge on my credit card.
I can see it now...
Crack repair (with coupon) .....................$250.00
Drew Carey lookalike team member......$100.00
Having a happy crack??.............................priceless
I just don't get marketing these days, I really don't.
--H
THEN she shared with us that she sent her comments to "the crack team" and received this response:
"H--:
We appreciate most of what you said about us and we're delighted your acid-tongued missive will make its way across the fruited plains.
However, I must take exception to three things:
1) The marketing genius you refer to is not a troglodyte. Troglodytes live in caves. Our marketing genius lives under a highway overpass.
2) I am not related to Spongebob. I'm concrete, he's sponge. Still confused? I'll send you a pamphlet.
3) You only valued our 'Drew Carey lookalike team member' at $100. He's worth at least $105.
Other than that you pretty much nailed it. And because of the time you put in to this project, I would like to reward your efforts by offering you a FREE Mr. Happy Crack tshirt if you so desire. Normally i'd charge but you made it very clear you want to avoid using credit cards.
May All Your Cracks Be Happy,
Mr. Happy Crack
Now I'm jealous of Heather's wit and her brand new Happy Crack t-shirt. The lucky beeotch has a new t-shirt and a new pen pal:
"Dear Mr. Happy Crack:
I love you already.
I've passed your information along to the construction project manager of our company as of this morning. At the moment, neither we -- nor any of our customers -- are in need of crack repair, but if and when one of us IS, we'll be sure to let you know.
I'd LOVE a t-shirt if you're willing to send one. (And will probably buy a onesie for my daughter as well from your website.)
If you need my address [or if you want to send your crack team after me], you can find me at:
Thanks for taking my comments as ... um ... tongue-in-cheek ... (*ahem*) ... as they were meant to be.
Sincerely, Heather"
X X X
"Heather:
Your feelings for me are natural and understandable. And yes, I would be delighted to send you a tshirt and your daughter a onesie. Of course I have to get personal and ask for sizes but I can assure you that wearing Mr. Happy Crack apparel will make you even more popular than you already are. Then again you could be a shut-in, who the hell knows.
Please provide vital stats (sizes) and fashion nirvana can be yours. In the meantime, let us know if any of those pesky cracks require our assistance. We'd be happy to make your cracks happy (ahem).
We appreciate your comments and y'know, there are worse things than communicating with a smiling hunk..........of concrete.
-MHC, Global Icon"
It's the little things in life that make it worth living...
"Okay... does anyone ELSE see a problem with this ad? (Yes, It's real.)
I mean, first of all, any ad that features "Mr. Happy Crack" is downright wrong to begin with. Second, what troglodytical marketing genius drank so much vodka that the stragegy of telling customers that "a dry crack is a HAPPY CRACK" actually seemed plausible???
Um... yeah pal. You get happy about your dry crack. I'll be over here pouring you another drink.
Finally, do I really need $50 off a crack repair? I mean, honestly. If godforbid my crack actually NEEDED repair for some awful reason, I certainly wouldn't tell SpongeBob's fucked up cousin about it, nevermind actually put the charge on my credit card.
I can see it now...
Crack repair (with coupon) .....................$250.00
Drew Carey lookalike team member......$100.00
Having a happy crack??.............................priceless
I just don't get marketing these days, I really don't.
--H
THEN she shared with us that she sent her comments to "the crack team" and received this response:
"H--:
We appreciate most of what you said about us and we're delighted your acid-tongued missive will make its way across the fruited plains.
However, I must take exception to three things:
1) The marketing genius you refer to is not a troglodyte. Troglodytes live in caves. Our marketing genius lives under a highway overpass.
2) I am not related to Spongebob. I'm concrete, he's sponge. Still confused? I'll send you a pamphlet.
3) You only valued our 'Drew Carey lookalike team member' at $100. He's worth at least $105.
Other than that you pretty much nailed it. And because of the time you put in to this project, I would like to reward your efforts by offering you a FREE Mr. Happy Crack tshirt if you so desire. Normally i'd charge but you made it very clear you want to avoid using credit cards.
May All Your Cracks Be Happy,
Mr. Happy Crack
Now I'm jealous of Heather's wit and her brand new Happy Crack t-shirt. The lucky beeotch has a new t-shirt and a new pen pal:
"Dear Mr. Happy Crack:
I love you already.
I've passed your information along to the construction project manager of our company as of this morning. At the moment, neither we -- nor any of our customers -- are in need of crack repair, but if and when one of us IS, we'll be sure to let you know.
I'd LOVE a t-shirt if you're willing to send one. (And will probably buy a onesie for my daughter as well from your website.)
If you need my address [or if you want to send your crack team after me], you can find me at:
Thanks for taking my comments as ... um ... tongue-in-cheek ... (*ahem*) ... as they were meant to be.
Sincerely, Heather"
X X X
"Heather:
Your feelings for me are natural and understandable. And yes, I would be delighted to send you a tshirt and your daughter a onesie. Of course I have to get personal and ask for sizes but I can assure you that wearing Mr. Happy Crack apparel will make you even more popular than you already are. Then again you could be a shut-in, who the hell knows.
Please provide vital stats (sizes) and fashion nirvana can be yours. In the meantime, let us know if any of those pesky cracks require our assistance. We'd be happy to make your cracks happy (ahem).
We appreciate your comments and y'know, there are worse things than communicating with a smiling hunk..........of concrete.
-MHC, Global Icon"
It's the little things in life that make it worth living...
Depleted Uranium
I was watching this movie last night on Showtime, Battleground: 21 Days on the Empire's Edge, which is about the conditions in Iraq. I highly recommend watching if you have Showtime, it's very well done and shows both sides.
One thing that disturbed me was Raed going through old tank graveyards from 1991 with a geiger counter. Apparently the US used shells tipped with depleted uranium and never cleaned up the mess left behind. They're still using the shells in current operations and shells shot from helicopters can go up to a meter into the ground, contaminating the water supplies. Local populations were never made aware of the dangers. Consequently the cases of certain kinds of cancer in Iraq have skyrocketed over the past 10-15 years. Our current troops in those areas are now being exposed to this. How short-sighted is it for us to use a substance we know causes cancer and has a half-life of a few billion years, knowing we can't adequately clean it up. Didn't we learn anything from Agent Orange & Vietnam?
On a lighter note: Mr. Happy Crack. My friend Heather sent me this. ("A dry crack is a happy crack"). I agree. Since my mind is in the gutter and I wasn't thinking of foundations, it kind of reminded me of the SNL commercial for Crack Spackle.
And this is ridiculous. The feds obviously didn't learn anything from their "smoking pot supports terrorism ads". Now they're saying those Prada knockoff bags could be supporting terrorism. Spend $300 on a purse or the terrorists win. Give me a break.
And can I just say I HATE statistics? Of course I can, this is MY blog and I can say whatever I want. I HATE STATISTICS!! Actually I hate the fact that since I don't get to do any complex analyses very often I have to re-learn every time I do end up having to do something complicated. So I guess really, I hate forgetting and re-learning statistics...
One thing that disturbed me was Raed going through old tank graveyards from 1991 with a geiger counter. Apparently the US used shells tipped with depleted uranium and never cleaned up the mess left behind. They're still using the shells in current operations and shells shot from helicopters can go up to a meter into the ground, contaminating the water supplies. Local populations were never made aware of the dangers. Consequently the cases of certain kinds of cancer in Iraq have skyrocketed over the past 10-15 years. Our current troops in those areas are now being exposed to this. How short-sighted is it for us to use a substance we know causes cancer and has a half-life of a few billion years, knowing we can't adequately clean it up. Didn't we learn anything from Agent Orange & Vietnam?
On a lighter note: Mr. Happy Crack. My friend Heather sent me this. ("A dry crack is a happy crack"). I agree. Since my mind is in the gutter and I wasn't thinking of foundations, it kind of reminded me of the SNL commercial for Crack Spackle.
And this is ridiculous. The feds obviously didn't learn anything from their "smoking pot supports terrorism ads". Now they're saying those Prada knockoff bags could be supporting terrorism. Spend $300 on a purse or the terrorists win. Give me a break.
And can I just say I HATE statistics? Of course I can, this is MY blog and I can say whatever I want. I HATE STATISTICS!! Actually I hate the fact that since I don't get to do any complex analyses very often I have to re-learn every time I do end up having to do something complicated. So I guess really, I hate forgetting and re-learning statistics...
26 May 2005
Got the itch
I got the itch again. It's been almost 2 years since my last tattoo. They really are addictive, even people I know who don't really want another one every so often wonder if they should. Every now and again little thoughts creep into my head about what I might want.
I still want to go to Michele Wortman at some point, her work is SO fantastic and I love her style. I've talked to her briefly about a custom design after I saw her work in Tattoo magazine. But going to Southern Illinois is not my idea of a fun weekend.
I'm thinking of something involving Plumeria. Ever since Hawaii I've been in love with that flower and it lends itself to the geometrical style I've already started collecting.
On another note, Live Aid II is hoping for a Spice Girls comeback. There is so much wrong with that statement I don't know where to begin. Is Britan so lacking in current talent that they have to dredge up Scary Spice?
Live Aid is a great idea, and a great cause but let's hope this time they come up with better lyrics than "there'll be no snow in Africa this Christmas" and "tonight thank God it's them instead of you".
I still want to go to Michele Wortman at some point, her work is SO fantastic and I love her style. I've talked to her briefly about a custom design after I saw her work in Tattoo magazine. But going to Southern Illinois is not my idea of a fun weekend.
I'm thinking of something involving Plumeria. Ever since Hawaii I've been in love with that flower and it lends itself to the geometrical style I've already started collecting.
On another note, Live Aid II is hoping for a Spice Girls comeback. There is so much wrong with that statement I don't know where to begin. Is Britan so lacking in current talent that they have to dredge up Scary Spice?
"We are talking to every act that ever picked up a guitar or sang into a microphone," the spokesman said.~ Apparently.
Live Aid is a great idea, and a great cause but let's hope this time they come up with better lyrics than "there'll be no snow in Africa this Christmas" and "tonight thank God it's them instead of you".
Damp
That's the only way to describe this morning. Damp. I think it's wreaking havoc on my joints cuz me knees are killing me today. I need to get new footbeds for my good sandals, the one's I'm wearing today are not good for my knees.
I'm totally disgusted with the reports of Guantanamo & Abu Grahib accounts of desecrating the Qur'an. Well, I'm totally disgusted with all of the reports of abuse coming out of those hell holes, so I guess I'm splitting hairs. When you're in a war against religious extremists, who are quickly convincing their more moderate populations that the West is anti-Islam, you might not want to do anything to prove their point for them... just a thought.
September 17th is now Constitution day. I'm all for more teaching of US History and law in schools. Illinois used to require a Constitution Test in 8th grade, and my high school required at least one year of exclusively American History (though you could take more). I agree that most young people (and many older people as we witnessed last week) have no real knowledge of the history and values of the Constitution. But is it a good idea to mandate a single day? One day is not enough. This is where No Child Left Behind could come in handy. Require Constitutional history for all K-12 students. The new 'law' states that any schools (K-12 and universities) that receive federal funding must teach something about the constitution on Sept. 17th. Aim high with your requirements - make it longer than one day.
Doesn't congress have more pressing issues at hand? Like the appointment of a rotten crotch-monkey to the 5th US Circut Court?
Check out AuntieHeathen. I've seen this article before, there's a whole field of sociology dedicated to this subject. Fascinating.
I'm totally disgusted with the reports of Guantanamo & Abu Grahib accounts of desecrating the Qur'an. Well, I'm totally disgusted with all of the reports of abuse coming out of those hell holes, so I guess I'm splitting hairs. When you're in a war against religious extremists, who are quickly convincing their more moderate populations that the West is anti-Islam, you might not want to do anything to prove their point for them... just a thought.
September 17th is now Constitution day. I'm all for more teaching of US History and law in schools. Illinois used to require a Constitution Test in 8th grade, and my high school required at least one year of exclusively American History (though you could take more). I agree that most young people (and many older people as we witnessed last week) have no real knowledge of the history and values of the Constitution. But is it a good idea to mandate a single day? One day is not enough. This is where No Child Left Behind could come in handy. Require Constitutional history for all K-12 students. The new 'law' states that any schools (K-12 and universities) that receive federal funding must teach something about the constitution on Sept. 17th. Aim high with your requirements - make it longer than one day.
Doesn't congress have more pressing issues at hand? Like the appointment of a rotten crotch-monkey to the 5th US Circut Court?
Check out AuntieHeathen. I've seen this article before, there's a whole field of sociology dedicated to this subject. Fascinating.
24 May 2005
Random Crap
CNN must know about my not-so-secret wish to have Tom DeLay involved in some terrible scandal. I saw this headline: "Delay in rape court-martial" and for a split second, I thought I might have won the lottery. My real wish, of course, is for DeLay and and Karl Rove to be caught in a sandwich with an underage transexual hooker, but Donna's voodoo dolls don't appear to be that effective.
If you haven't read this expose on David Hager, it's quite disturbing. Now, of course, no one knows if it's really true or not, except the parties directly invovled. But I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
Apparently Tom Cruise has become a doctor in his spare time not spent studying the (a)musings of third-rate science fiction author as a personal life philosophy. He's now freely dispensing his expert medical advice. Does anyone know what Dr. Tom recommends for removing one's head from one's own ass? (as an aside: Do not taunt the happy fun cult.) This totally destroyed any desire I had to see War of the Worlds.
Whatever happened to Fade to Black online magazine? I miss them. They originally introduced me to the CAP Alerts movie reviews. I guess online magazines aren't very lucrative. They also resurrected Louis Fahrakhan's long-dead career as a calypso singer...
I love Ze Frank.
If Lindsay Lohan thinks she's fat then I must be the heroin-chic-anorectic's equivalent of "Orca fat" from the Usual Suspects.
Do you care who testifies at the Michael Jackson trial? I don't. Show me some real news.
I love when some random event (the cats playing, a bath) flips the "crazy" switch in my dog's head. One minute she's fine, the next minute she's going absolutely berzerk running full-speed up and down the length of our apartment.
O' Brother Where Art Thou is such a perfect movie.
Thank you Cillic for my techno remix of Carmina Burana.
I'm considering having a shearing party for John. His wafro is getting way outta control. He's past the 70's porn star phase now. I might have to start calling him Chewbacca (what a wookie).
I'm so happy Family Guy is back on Fox. Which character are You? I'm Brian! No surprise there, you all knew I was a boozehound. Now if we can only get the Simpsons to die gracefully, before we begin resenting it...
Every time I think about the video for Pagan Poetry I can't help but think Bjork must have severed heads buried in her basement. That chick is weiiiird. But you gotta love her.
That's all I can think of at the moment. I have to find another way to procrastinate packing and schoolwork...
If you haven't read this expose on David Hager, it's quite disturbing. Now, of course, no one knows if it's really true or not, except the parties directly invovled. But I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt.
Apparently Tom Cruise has become a doctor in his spare time not spent studying the (a)musings of third-rate science fiction author as a personal life philosophy. He's now freely dispensing his expert medical advice. Does anyone know what Dr. Tom recommends for removing one's head from one's own ass? (as an aside: Do not taunt the happy fun cult.) This totally destroyed any desire I had to see War of the Worlds.
Whatever happened to Fade to Black online magazine? I miss them. They originally introduced me to the CAP Alerts movie reviews. I guess online magazines aren't very lucrative. They also resurrected Louis Fahrakhan's long-dead career as a calypso singer...
I love Ze Frank.
If Lindsay Lohan thinks she's fat then I must be the heroin-chic-anorectic's equivalent of "Orca fat" from the Usual Suspects.
Do you care who testifies at the Michael Jackson trial? I don't. Show me some real news.
I love when some random event (the cats playing, a bath) flips the "crazy" switch in my dog's head. One minute she's fine, the next minute she's going absolutely berzerk running full-speed up and down the length of our apartment.
O' Brother Where Art Thou is such a perfect movie.
Thank you Cillic for my techno remix of Carmina Burana.
I'm considering having a shearing party for John. His wafro is getting way outta control. He's past the 70's porn star phase now. I might have to start calling him Chewbacca (what a wookie).
I'm so happy Family Guy is back on Fox. Which character are You? I'm Brian! No surprise there, you all knew I was a boozehound. Now if we can only get the Simpsons to die gracefully, before we begin resenting it...
Every time I think about the video for Pagan Poetry I can't help but think Bjork must have severed heads buried in her basement. That chick is weiiiird. But you gotta love her.
That's all I can think of at the moment. I have to find another way to procrastinate packing and schoolwork...
A room with a view
So class went ok last night. The history of the Middle East from the beginning of time to 1923 in three hours. Phew. Well, history isn't really the subject, it's a political science course. So we have to briefly cover the history of the area so we can focus on the past 50 years or so.
But how the hell am I supposed to concentrate when this is my view? It's my first time getting a room with a decent view of Buckingham Fountain.
The professor seems cool. It will take some time to get used to his style.
On to the "Desecration of the Flag" Ammendment. I've never been big on lifting symbols to the point of reverence. Sure the flag is a symbol of the country. But so is the Bald Eagle, and we're doing so much to preserve them. This is just Nationalism out of control in my opinion. There is a difference between pride in who you are and in your country and Nationalism - the belief that you are above all others.
So this is the text of the act:
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America...
(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
You mean like this:
(Yes, that's Bush during the '04 campaign)
This also means the end to those cutesy little american flag tank tops and bandannas that real "patriots" love to wear. I don't think flying a flag on the back of your H2 makes you any more of a patriot than anyone else.
And what of those cheapo plastic and paper flags handed out at parades and used for decorations during celebrations:
"It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard."
So there goes your party decorations for the Fourth of July.
I just don't see the point. Free speech is just that. Free. I don't agree with all the things others say or do, but I accept their right to express them - as long as they cause no harm.
The Klan, for example, has every right to march and rally. They do not, however, have the right to bomb houses, churches or drag people from behind their pickup trucks.
Anyway....
But how the hell am I supposed to concentrate when this is my view? It's my first time getting a room with a decent view of Buckingham Fountain.
The professor seems cool. It will take some time to get used to his style.
On to the "Desecration of the Flag" Ammendment. I've never been big on lifting symbols to the point of reverence. Sure the flag is a symbol of the country. But so is the Bald Eagle, and we're doing so much to preserve them. This is just Nationalism out of control in my opinion. There is a difference between pride in who you are and in your country and Nationalism - the belief that you are above all others.
So this is the text of the act:
No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America...
(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.
You mean like this:
(Yes, that's Bush during the '04 campaign)
This also means the end to those cutesy little american flag tank tops and bandannas that real "patriots" love to wear. I don't think flying a flag on the back of your H2 makes you any more of a patriot than anyone else.
And what of those cheapo plastic and paper flags handed out at parades and used for decorations during celebrations:
"It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard."
So there goes your party decorations for the Fourth of July.
I just don't see the point. Free speech is just that. Free. I don't agree with all the things others say or do, but I accept their right to express them - as long as they cause no harm.
The Klan, for example, has every right to march and rally. They do not, however, have the right to bomb houses, churches or drag people from behind their pickup trucks.
Anyway....
23 May 2005
Jambalaya
GWB, feel free to post this on your Church Potluck. But I warn you, it contains no cream of anything soup. ;)
This can be made in a stock pot too (that's how I do it). The recipe nearly fills my stock pot, so depending on the size pot you're using, you'll have to cut it down...
There's only one place in Chicago that I've found decent Andouille sausage, but Polish sausage works too. The spices are a little different, but close enough for government work. If you've got a good butcher, ask for andouille. I also have started using a salt-free cajun seasoning because it allows me to use A LOT. The McCormick (and the like) is nearly all salt, and if you use too much, salt is all you taste. If there's a decent spice merchant in your area go there. I get mine from the Spice House - good stuff.
Because my kitchen is limited in counter space, I list the ingredients in the order you need them. That way I can get the first set together and work on the next while the other is cooking.
1 1/2 lb Andouille sausage, sliced however large/small you want
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed & seasoned with cajun seasoning.
**John is allergic to shellfish, so I don't make this with shrimp. If you want to use shrimp, reduce chicken & sausage by half and use 3/4 pounds of shimp. Cook in 2 tbs of olive oil prior to cooking chicken, until cooked, and remove from pot. Then follow instructions... You could also used pre-cooked shrimp too I'm sure.
2 Tbsp olive oil
Enough Cajun seasoning to coat chicken.
2 C chopped Onion
1 C chopped Bell Pepper
3 Bay leaves
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp minced garlic (I think I use more than this, but I stopped counting)
1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
1 C chopped fresh tomato
6 C water
2 C regular white rice (not minute rice)
1 C chopped green onion
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
Cajun seasoning
Cayanne pepper
Cayanne pepper sauce
Salt & Pepper
In pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add seasoned chicken & sautee about 8 minutes or until browned. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
Add sausage to pot, cook until browned.
Add onion, peppers, garlic, thyme, bay leaves (first set of veggies) and cook until veggies are wilted (~ 6 minutes). Add cayanne/cajun seasoning to taste.
Add tomatoes & water, and return chicken to pot. Season with salt & pepper to taste and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
Add rice, stir well and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes.
Add green onions & parsley - mix carefully and cook, covered, 10 minutes more.
Add spices to taste.
Remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes before serving.
With the spice measurements above, it comes out pretty mild, and I usually spice it up a little more at the end. And I consider myself a spice wimp, so that's VERY mild to someone who likes a lot of pepper.
This can be made in a stock pot too (that's how I do it). The recipe nearly fills my stock pot, so depending on the size pot you're using, you'll have to cut it down...
There's only one place in Chicago that I've found decent Andouille sausage, but Polish sausage works too. The spices are a little different, but close enough for government work. If you've got a good butcher, ask for andouille. I also have started using a salt-free cajun seasoning because it allows me to use A LOT. The McCormick (and the like) is nearly all salt, and if you use too much, salt is all you taste. If there's a decent spice merchant in your area go there. I get mine from the Spice House - good stuff.
Because my kitchen is limited in counter space, I list the ingredients in the order you need them. That way I can get the first set together and work on the next while the other is cooking.
1 1/2 lb Andouille sausage, sliced however large/small you want
1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breast, cubed & seasoned with cajun seasoning.
**John is allergic to shellfish, so I don't make this with shrimp. If you want to use shrimp, reduce chicken & sausage by half and use 3/4 pounds of shimp. Cook in 2 tbs of olive oil prior to cooking chicken, until cooked, and remove from pot. Then follow instructions... You could also used pre-cooked shrimp too I'm sure.
2 Tbsp olive oil
Enough Cajun seasoning to coat chicken.
2 C chopped Onion
1 C chopped Bell Pepper
3 Bay leaves
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp minced garlic (I think I use more than this, but I stopped counting)
1/2 tsp cayanne pepper
1 C chopped fresh tomato
6 C water
2 C regular white rice (not minute rice)
1 C chopped green onion
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley
Cajun seasoning
Cayanne pepper
Cayanne pepper sauce
Salt & Pepper
In pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add seasoned chicken & sautee about 8 minutes or until browned. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
Add sausage to pot, cook until browned.
Add onion, peppers, garlic, thyme, bay leaves (first set of veggies) and cook until veggies are wilted (~ 6 minutes). Add cayanne/cajun seasoning to taste.
Add tomatoes & water, and return chicken to pot. Season with salt & pepper to taste and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
Add rice, stir well and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes.
Add green onions & parsley - mix carefully and cook, covered, 10 minutes more.
Add spices to taste.
Remove from heat and let stand 20 minutes before serving.
With the spice measurements above, it comes out pretty mild, and I usually spice it up a little more at the end. And I consider myself a spice wimp, so that's VERY mild to someone who likes a lot of pepper.
Enter the Gauntlet
I start summer classes tonight and I have a dentist appointment this afternoon - won't THAT be a fun combo!
The last time I took a summer class was in 1996 and it was abnormal psychology. Pretty straightforward topic.
This class, the Middle East Conflict, will be much much harder in my estimation, I was working full time in 1996 over the summer, but really as an intern - much less responsibility. Plus we're moving in mid June. I should have re-thought this summer school thing, but who knows when this class will be offered again.
(as a side note, thanks to all who recommended movers. We're going with Golan's. The thought of little ex-Israeli army men lifting 3x their own weight sounds very intriguing to me, and they're reasonably priced and highly recommended.)
There are people who spend a lifetime studying the Middle East Conflict and we're covering it in 6 weeks. I've already checked the syllabus and it will be more than just Israel vs. Palestine - which is a very important piece of the topic, but not the only piece. So I'll have no life until the first week of July between work, class and movi.
It will fit nicely into my specialty topic area in my program and get me one step closer to the degree.
Many people, especially at work, have asked my why I'm getting an Interdisciplinary degree. (I've also had people assume I'm getting an MBA or Stats degree - YUK). "What are you going to do with that?" They ask. Well I'm not sure to be quite honest. But I've always been of the mind that learning is learning, no matter what the subject, and if you enjoy yourself all the better. If you only look at education as a credential or a piece of paper to get you that raise, then you've missed the whole point IMHO.
So, I'm off to do some work. I'm working from home today, then I get to have my dentist appoinment and go to class. Won't get home until 10pm tonight. Like I said, no life...
Toodles
The last time I took a summer class was in 1996 and it was abnormal psychology. Pretty straightforward topic.
This class, the Middle East Conflict, will be much much harder in my estimation, I was working full time in 1996 over the summer, but really as an intern - much less responsibility. Plus we're moving in mid June. I should have re-thought this summer school thing, but who knows when this class will be offered again.
(as a side note, thanks to all who recommended movers. We're going with Golan's. The thought of little ex-Israeli army men lifting 3x their own weight sounds very intriguing to me, and they're reasonably priced and highly recommended.)
There are people who spend a lifetime studying the Middle East Conflict and we're covering it in 6 weeks. I've already checked the syllabus and it will be more than just Israel vs. Palestine - which is a very important piece of the topic, but not the only piece. So I'll have no life until the first week of July between work, class and movi.
It will fit nicely into my specialty topic area in my program and get me one step closer to the degree.
Many people, especially at work, have asked my why I'm getting an Interdisciplinary degree. (I've also had people assume I'm getting an MBA or Stats degree - YUK). "What are you going to do with that?" They ask. Well I'm not sure to be quite honest. But I've always been of the mind that learning is learning, no matter what the subject, and if you enjoy yourself all the better. If you only look at education as a credential or a piece of paper to get you that raise, then you've missed the whole point IMHO.
So, I'm off to do some work. I'm working from home today, then I get to have my dentist appoinment and go to class. Won't get home until 10pm tonight. Like I said, no life...
Toodles
22 May 2005
More Donnie Darkoesque Moments
I love when stories like this hit. I don't love that it happens, but I love that they make my point for me. It just goes to show that just because someone adheres to a particular faith doesn't make them a good person. It's actions, not dogma and rhetoric that make people good.
Faith & Truth
These past few days have had me thinking about how Faith and Religion have caused the majority of pain and suffering in the world. To me, they are very different things.
Faith is a system of beliefs that rests on no logical or hard factual evidence. What makes faith, faith is exactly the absence of 'proof'. It's easy to berate another person's faith precisely because there is no proof. We can't prove that humans are nothing more than a series of chemical reactions any more than we can prove we're the result of some supernatural being molding us in its own image.
Faith and cosmology are ways humans try to understand the natural world. Why are we here, why does the sun rise and set each day. Believing that a god in a mystical charriot carried the sun across the sky is no more far fetched than believing that Noah got two of each of millions of creatures on a relatively small boat.
Religion is a set of human institutions and rules based around a particular faith, complete with human flaws and political maneuverings. So now you have the concept of faith, believe in something totally logically unprovable, combined with laws and rules telling people how to live, what to say, read, do, even eat. But what of those people who do not believe? Are we to make them follow rules of a religion to which they do not belong? I'm not talking about basic dignity here, I'm talking about the stupid little rules like stoning someone to death for adultery? That's what they used to do. The fact is that times change, and rules need to change with them.
Which brings me to Truth. 500 years ago, the Truth was that the Earth was the center of the universe and everything revolved around us. How could god create something so special and then have the gall to put it somewhere random in the universe and not give it supremacy to everything else? Well, we now know that the Earth revolves around a star that is one of billions in the universe, and we are in fact, in some random placement within that mess of stars. Before modern physics was introduced, we thought for sure that the atom was the smallest particle of matter. We now know that may not necessarily be true. Before the discovery of DNA we thought we were completely unique in the world and had nothing in common physically with other species of animals. We now know that all mammals share a majority of the same DNA.
For a long time, we believed that the Bible as it exists now was the way it was from the beginning. I am not saying the stories and the messages are any less valid. But you cannot take these text literally - especially when they often contradict themselves. Several of the gospels tell the same story several different ways. Which one is true? No one really knows. Now with the discovery of alternative translations, the fact that kings and popes discarded sections of the gospels they didn't agree with, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the ability to read ancient manuscripts that were previously illegible, we know that not to be true. Any logical, thinking person should be able to accept the fact that what is written in any sacred text has been translated, mistranslated and edited by human beings, and human beings make mistakes.
Truth cannot exist because in order to accept something as true, you must first accept the fact that no new knowledge can possibly surface to question the validity of that truth. Well, I cannot make that assumption so therefore I do not believe in truth.
The problem occurs when you encounter someone who believes their way is the "true" way. I do not believe there is any difference between people like this, no matter what "truth" they speak of. Whether it's the truth that Jews are responsible for the plight of Germany post WWI, or whether it's the truth that a holy war against America must be waged in the name of Allah, or whether it's the truth that anyone who does not follow your exact sectarian interpretation of christianity is evil. There is, however, no arguing with someone who believes their way is the absolute truth. Because often this "truth" is based on faith - something which requires no proof or logical evidence to sustain.
I respect someone's right to believe what they want. I believe some things that many people do not. I also, however, do not go around proselytizing. The moment a person attempts to inflict his or her beliefs onto my life is where I draw the line. This is where the problem comes in. When people assume that religion is the only source of moral values. I know plenty of non-religious people who still believe in the basic moral and human values. They didn't get those from the preacher. But what is moral? Murder is wrong. Unless your god or your government say it's ok. But what of those who don't believe in the same god or government? There is no easy solution to this and I accept that fact, and I accept that I have to live my life with people, some of whom have opinions I find wrong or unsavory. I am willing, however, to accept that they believe what they believe and have an open debate, without adolescent namecalling.
The problem is that now the conservatives of this country have been hijacked by moralists. I can understand fiscal conservatives because it really is a matter of economic theory. But the moralists try to tell everyone that if you don't believe exactly what they believe that you should be a second-class citizen in our own SECULAR society. And that is bullshit. All human beings have inaliable rights, regardless of who or what or how or if they worship.
Yes Secular. The omission of "God" from the US Constitution was not an oversight, it was deliberate. The founders felt government had just as much to fear from religious influence as religious institutions had to fear from government involvement. The two are separate in this country. The first time in history that happened - and it was deliberate. This is a secular government ruled by the laws of humans, not the ten commandments.
Faith is a system of beliefs that rests on no logical or hard factual evidence. What makes faith, faith is exactly the absence of 'proof'. It's easy to berate another person's faith precisely because there is no proof. We can't prove that humans are nothing more than a series of chemical reactions any more than we can prove we're the result of some supernatural being molding us in its own image.
Faith and cosmology are ways humans try to understand the natural world. Why are we here, why does the sun rise and set each day. Believing that a god in a mystical charriot carried the sun across the sky is no more far fetched than believing that Noah got two of each of millions of creatures on a relatively small boat.
Religion is a set of human institutions and rules based around a particular faith, complete with human flaws and political maneuverings. So now you have the concept of faith, believe in something totally logically unprovable, combined with laws and rules telling people how to live, what to say, read, do, even eat. But what of those people who do not believe? Are we to make them follow rules of a religion to which they do not belong? I'm not talking about basic dignity here, I'm talking about the stupid little rules like stoning someone to death for adultery? That's what they used to do. The fact is that times change, and rules need to change with them.
Which brings me to Truth. 500 years ago, the Truth was that the Earth was the center of the universe and everything revolved around us. How could god create something so special and then have the gall to put it somewhere random in the universe and not give it supremacy to everything else? Well, we now know that the Earth revolves around a star that is one of billions in the universe, and we are in fact, in some random placement within that mess of stars. Before modern physics was introduced, we thought for sure that the atom was the smallest particle of matter. We now know that may not necessarily be true. Before the discovery of DNA we thought we were completely unique in the world and had nothing in common physically with other species of animals. We now know that all mammals share a majority of the same DNA.
For a long time, we believed that the Bible as it exists now was the way it was from the beginning. I am not saying the stories and the messages are any less valid. But you cannot take these text literally - especially when they often contradict themselves. Several of the gospels tell the same story several different ways. Which one is true? No one really knows. Now with the discovery of alternative translations, the fact that kings and popes discarded sections of the gospels they didn't agree with, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the ability to read ancient manuscripts that were previously illegible, we know that not to be true. Any logical, thinking person should be able to accept the fact that what is written in any sacred text has been translated, mistranslated and edited by human beings, and human beings make mistakes.
Truth cannot exist because in order to accept something as true, you must first accept the fact that no new knowledge can possibly surface to question the validity of that truth. Well, I cannot make that assumption so therefore I do not believe in truth.
The problem occurs when you encounter someone who believes their way is the "true" way. I do not believe there is any difference between people like this, no matter what "truth" they speak of. Whether it's the truth that Jews are responsible for the plight of Germany post WWI, or whether it's the truth that a holy war against America must be waged in the name of Allah, or whether it's the truth that anyone who does not follow your exact sectarian interpretation of christianity is evil. There is, however, no arguing with someone who believes their way is the absolute truth. Because often this "truth" is based on faith - something which requires no proof or logical evidence to sustain.
I respect someone's right to believe what they want. I believe some things that many people do not. I also, however, do not go around proselytizing. The moment a person attempts to inflict his or her beliefs onto my life is where I draw the line. This is where the problem comes in. When people assume that religion is the only source of moral values. I know plenty of non-religious people who still believe in the basic moral and human values. They didn't get those from the preacher. But what is moral? Murder is wrong. Unless your god or your government say it's ok. But what of those who don't believe in the same god or government? There is no easy solution to this and I accept that fact, and I accept that I have to live my life with people, some of whom have opinions I find wrong or unsavory. I am willing, however, to accept that they believe what they believe and have an open debate, without adolescent namecalling.
The problem is that now the conservatives of this country have been hijacked by moralists. I can understand fiscal conservatives because it really is a matter of economic theory. But the moralists try to tell everyone that if you don't believe exactly what they believe that you should be a second-class citizen in our own SECULAR society. And that is bullshit. All human beings have inaliable rights, regardless of who or what or how or if they worship.
Yes Secular. The omission of "God" from the US Constitution was not an oversight, it was deliberate. The founders felt government had just as much to fear from religious influence as religious institutions had to fear from government involvement. The two are separate in this country. The first time in history that happened - and it was deliberate. This is a secular government ruled by the laws of humans, not the ten commandments.
20 May 2005
Seen Episode Three I Have
(no spoilers - not like everyone doesn't know how the story ends, but I won't spoil the details)
Yes, we're nerds. We saw it last night at 10:20. Including previews, it was under 3 hrs long, so I got to bed just about 1 am. Webster place was a zoo, and there were a few people dressed up, including one guy who I think was supposed to be a jedi, but really looked like the lead in Pirates of Pensance (I don't wanna be a pirate).
A few stressful moments aside, we get into the theatre, sit down, watch an hour of previews and on with the show.
Overall I liked it. Saying it was better than the last two isn't saying much - but it was. George Lucas still can't write a love scene, so there were a few roll-your-eyes moments. A few pithy comments/thoughts aside, it's an enjoyable movie. Yoda's inside-out grammar grates on your nerves after a while, and works it does not with sentences too long that are.
III develops the whole tragedy of Darth Vader (deep down, we all wants to be white/ what's a nubian?); you won't look at that character the same way again. Lots of things come full-circle. I liked it.
Still, I will never forgive George Lucas for:
Yes, we're nerds. We saw it last night at 10:20. Including previews, it was under 3 hrs long, so I got to bed just about 1 am. Webster place was a zoo, and there were a few people dressed up, including one guy who I think was supposed to be a jedi, but really looked like the lead in Pirates of Pensance (I don't wanna be a pirate).
A few stressful moments aside, we get into the theatre, sit down, watch an hour of previews and on with the show.
Overall I liked it. Saying it was better than the last two isn't saying much - but it was. George Lucas still can't write a love scene, so there were a few roll-your-eyes moments. A few pithy comments/thoughts aside, it's an enjoyable movie. Yoda's inside-out grammar grates on your nerves after a while, and works it does not with sentences too long that are.
III develops the whole tragedy of Darth Vader (deep down, we all wants to be white/ what's a nubian?); you won't look at that character the same way again. Lots of things come full-circle. I liked it.
Still, I will never forgive George Lucas for:
- That crappy added Jabba (Jumanji the Hut) scene in Ep. IV Special Edition
- Greedo shooting first
- Jar-Jar
19 May 2005
The Dead and the Undead...
"…She stood in the crowded room as her drove of minions stood around her...…A huddling mass trying to draw closer to her aura of evil. The lights flashed against her fangs as her cruel lips curled into a grimace. It was meant to be a smile but it wouldn't reach her cold, lifeless eyes… It was a leer- the leer of the undead before a feeding...
The above was not a scene from Buffy the Vampire Slayer- it was just Condi Rice in Iraq a day ago. At home, we fondly refer to her as The Vampire. She's such a contrast to Bush- he simply looks stupid. She, on the other hand, looks utterly evil.
The last two weeks have been violent. The number of explosions in Baghdad alone is frightening. There have also been several assassinations- bodies being found here and there. It's somewhat disturbing to know that corpses are turning up in the most unexpected places. Many people will tell you it's not wise to eat river fish anymore because they have been nourished on the human remains being dumped into the river. That thought alone has given me more than one sleepless night. It is almost as if Baghdad has turned into a giant graveyard."
--from Riverbend
The above was not a scene from Buffy the Vampire Slayer- it was just Condi Rice in Iraq a day ago. At home, we fondly refer to her as The Vampire. She's such a contrast to Bush- he simply looks stupid. She, on the other hand, looks utterly evil.
The last two weeks have been violent. The number of explosions in Baghdad alone is frightening. There have also been several assassinations- bodies being found here and there. It's somewhat disturbing to know that corpses are turning up in the most unexpected places. Many people will tell you it's not wise to eat river fish anymore because they have been nourished on the human remains being dumped into the river. That thought alone has given me more than one sleepless night. It is almost as if Baghdad has turned into a giant graveyard."
--from Riverbend
NASA science uncovers texts of Trojan Wars, early gospel
It's stuff like this that makes fundamentalist religion totally illogical. They try to discount these things as "fakes" but the truth is that sacred texts, no matter what you believe the origin of the ideas are (divine, nice stories or totally full of BS), were written down by humans. Fallible, imperfect humans.
NASA science uncovers texts of Trojan Wars, early gospel
By Tom Hundley
Tribune foreign correspondent
May 19, 2005
OXFORD, England -- The scholars at Oxford University are not sure how it works or why; all they know is that it does.
A relatively new technology called multispectral imaging is turning a pile of ancient garbage into a gold mine of classical knowledge, bringing to light the lost texts of Sophocles and Euripides as well as some early Christian gospels that do not appear in the New Testament.
Originally developed by NASA scientists and used to map the surface of Mars, multispectral imaging was successfully applied to some badly charred Roman manuscripts that were buried during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Examining those carbonized manuscripts under different wavelengths of light suddenly revealed writing that had been invisible to scholars for two centuries.
Now scientists are shining the multispectral light on the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, an enormous collection of texts unearthed from the rubbish heaps of the vanished city of Oxyrhynchus, about 100 miles south of Cairo.
First excavated by two Oxford archeologists in the late 19th Century, the hoard of papyrus from Oxyrhynchus has long been a source of fascination and frustration for scholars: Fascination because it holds some of the lost masterpieces of classical literature, frustration because much of it is in such poor condition it's impossible to read.
But the multispectral imaging has "produced miraculous results," according to Dirk Obbink, a lecturer in papyrology and Greek literature at Oxford who is directing the project.
"No one knows exactly why it produces the results it does," Obbink said of the technology. "But with texts that are difficult to read, it's a night-and-day difference."
In the past few weeks alone, researchers have succeeded in deciphering a 70-line fragment from a lost tragedy by Sophocles and a 30-line fragment from Archilochos, a Greek soldier-poet who chronicled the Trojan Wars.
The Archilochos fragment confirms what scholars have long suspected: that the Greeks got lost on their way to invade Troy and mistakenly landed at place called Mysia. There they fought a battle, lost and had to regroup before heading off again for Troy.
The Archilochos fragment will be published later this month. The newly discovered lines from Sophocles are scheduled for publication in August.
High-tech Lazy Susan
"To get a piece like that every 10 years, we think ourselves lucky, so I'd have to say that this is a very exciting development," said professor Richard Janko, head of the classics department at the University of Michigan.
Multispectral imaging uses digital cameras equipped with a kind of revolving Lazy Susan of light filters that isolate the waveband at which the obscured ink contrasts most vividly with the dark background of the papyrus, the paper of the ancient Egyptians.
"Some parts [of the writing] respond well to infrared; other parts respond to something further along the spectrum," Obbink said.
A sequence of images taken at all ranges of the light spectrum are then put together, and the result often is a document of startling clarity. The technique for adapting NASA's technology to the reading of ancient manuscripts was developed at Brigham Young University in Utah, which is assisting Oxford with the Oxyrhynchus project.
The Oxyrhynchus collection, housed at Oxford University's Sackler Library, consists of more than half a million scraps of papyrus. Some of it is in excellent condition, but much of it is worm-eaten and darkened by time.
All of it was collected from the rubbish dumps of Oxyrhynchus, a city that flourished after the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. The city remained prominent in the Roman and Byzantine periods but declined after the Arab conquest in A.D. 641.
For a thousand years, the inhabitants dumped their trash in the desert. Over time the dumpsites were covered by sand, and they remained covered until 1896 when Oxford archeologists Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt began excavating the area.
At first, Grenfell thought that what he and Hunt had found was "nothing but rubbish mounds," but they quickly came to appreciate that they had found a remarkable window into the literary and ordinary lives of the ancients.
There were plays by Sophocles and Euripides, poems of Pindar and Sappho, and some of the earliest documents recording Christianity's spread to Egypt. The gospel of Thomas, for example, records the "Sayings of Jesus" in a manner that some scholars of early Christianity believe is more authentic than the Gospels in the New Testament.
There also is an abundance of life's everyday stuff and miscellanea--tax records, marriage contracts, horoscopes, erotic musings, advice on how to buy a donkey and advice on how to cast a decent magic spell.
"It's as if you took a slice out of everybody's hard drive, or every 10th page out of every 10th book in the library--what you have is a complete slice of life," said Obbink, the project director.
The problem was sorting the wheat from the chaff and deciphering scripts that had been damaged or obscured.
1 percent in a century
Working steadily for more than a century, scholars at Oxford managed to decipher, interpret and publish about 5,000 text fragments, about 1 percent of the total collection, according to Nick Gonis, the collection's curator. Multispectral imaging could help speed the process.
Meanwhile, the Oxford team is looking at another promising application of the technology. Scholars have long known that the elaborately painted cartonnage used to encase mummies was a kind of papier-mache made from papyrus. A lot of the papyrus has writing on it, but there didn't seem to be a way of reading it without destroying the decorative cartonnage.
In one recent trial, the imaging process was able to read writing beneath the painted surface of a cartonnage fragment. Scholars were thrilled, even though it turned out to be just another government report.
----------
thundley@tribune.com
NASA science uncovers texts of Trojan Wars, early gospel
By Tom Hundley
Tribune foreign correspondent
May 19, 2005
OXFORD, England -- The scholars at Oxford University are not sure how it works or why; all they know is that it does.
A relatively new technology called multispectral imaging is turning a pile of ancient garbage into a gold mine of classical knowledge, bringing to light the lost texts of Sophocles and Euripides as well as some early Christian gospels that do not appear in the New Testament.
Originally developed by NASA scientists and used to map the surface of Mars, multispectral imaging was successfully applied to some badly charred Roman manuscripts that were buried during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Examining those carbonized manuscripts under different wavelengths of light suddenly revealed writing that had been invisible to scholars for two centuries.
Now scientists are shining the multispectral light on the Oxyrhynchus Papyri, an enormous collection of texts unearthed from the rubbish heaps of the vanished city of Oxyrhynchus, about 100 miles south of Cairo.
First excavated by two Oxford archeologists in the late 19th Century, the hoard of papyrus from Oxyrhynchus has long been a source of fascination and frustration for scholars: Fascination because it holds some of the lost masterpieces of classical literature, frustration because much of it is in such poor condition it's impossible to read.
But the multispectral imaging has "produced miraculous results," according to Dirk Obbink, a lecturer in papyrology and Greek literature at Oxford who is directing the project.
"No one knows exactly why it produces the results it does," Obbink said of the technology. "But with texts that are difficult to read, it's a night-and-day difference."
In the past few weeks alone, researchers have succeeded in deciphering a 70-line fragment from a lost tragedy by Sophocles and a 30-line fragment from Archilochos, a Greek soldier-poet who chronicled the Trojan Wars.
The Archilochos fragment confirms what scholars have long suspected: that the Greeks got lost on their way to invade Troy and mistakenly landed at place called Mysia. There they fought a battle, lost and had to regroup before heading off again for Troy.
The Archilochos fragment will be published later this month. The newly discovered lines from Sophocles are scheduled for publication in August.
High-tech Lazy Susan
"To get a piece like that every 10 years, we think ourselves lucky, so I'd have to say that this is a very exciting development," said professor Richard Janko, head of the classics department at the University of Michigan.
Multispectral imaging uses digital cameras equipped with a kind of revolving Lazy Susan of light filters that isolate the waveband at which the obscured ink contrasts most vividly with the dark background of the papyrus, the paper of the ancient Egyptians.
"Some parts [of the writing] respond well to infrared; other parts respond to something further along the spectrum," Obbink said.
A sequence of images taken at all ranges of the light spectrum are then put together, and the result often is a document of startling clarity. The technique for adapting NASA's technology to the reading of ancient manuscripts was developed at Brigham Young University in Utah, which is assisting Oxford with the Oxyrhynchus project.
The Oxyrhynchus collection, housed at Oxford University's Sackler Library, consists of more than half a million scraps of papyrus. Some of it is in excellent condition, but much of it is worm-eaten and darkened by time.
All of it was collected from the rubbish dumps of Oxyrhynchus, a city that flourished after the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C. The city remained prominent in the Roman and Byzantine periods but declined after the Arab conquest in A.D. 641.
For a thousand years, the inhabitants dumped their trash in the desert. Over time the dumpsites were covered by sand, and they remained covered until 1896 when Oxford archeologists Bernard Grenfell and Arthur Hunt began excavating the area.
At first, Grenfell thought that what he and Hunt had found was "nothing but rubbish mounds," but they quickly came to appreciate that they had found a remarkable window into the literary and ordinary lives of the ancients.
There were plays by Sophocles and Euripides, poems of Pindar and Sappho, and some of the earliest documents recording Christianity's spread to Egypt. The gospel of Thomas, for example, records the "Sayings of Jesus" in a manner that some scholars of early Christianity believe is more authentic than the Gospels in the New Testament.
There also is an abundance of life's everyday stuff and miscellanea--tax records, marriage contracts, horoscopes, erotic musings, advice on how to buy a donkey and advice on how to cast a decent magic spell.
"It's as if you took a slice out of everybody's hard drive, or every 10th page out of every 10th book in the library--what you have is a complete slice of life," said Obbink, the project director.
The problem was sorting the wheat from the chaff and deciphering scripts that had been damaged or obscured.
1 percent in a century
Working steadily for more than a century, scholars at Oxford managed to decipher, interpret and publish about 5,000 text fragments, about 1 percent of the total collection, according to Nick Gonis, the collection's curator. Multispectral imaging could help speed the process.
Meanwhile, the Oxford team is looking at another promising application of the technology. Scholars have long known that the elaborately painted cartonnage used to encase mummies was a kind of papier-mache made from papyrus. A lot of the papyrus has writing on it, but there didn't seem to be a way of reading it without destroying the decorative cartonnage.
In one recent trial, the imaging process was able to read writing beneath the painted surface of a cartonnage fragment. Scholars were thrilled, even though it turned out to be just another government report.
----------
thundley@tribune.com
18 May 2005
Dominionists
Better than a scary movie in the dark during a thunderstorm to give you shivers up & down your soul...
I don't know how I feel about this
Apparently someone in Georgia (the country not the state) threw a grenade at Bush. They treated it as serious, even though everyone thought it was fake. Turns out, it was live, but malfunctioned! On the one hand, Bush is such a moronic, evil, selfish bastard and has caused so much misery, death and carnage during his reign that I could really give two shits if he kicked. On the other hand, the Right would turn him into some martyr for democracy. And we'd have President Cheney (eeeeeeek).
17 May 2005
Support our Troops?
CNN.com column tells how congress fled in armored SUVs from the little plane that entered restricted D.C. airspace and asks the question: why don't our troops in Iraq have armored vehicles? And other related questions about our "compassionate" conservatives in congress...
16 May 2005
Movin on Up
So we set our move date with the movers. June 20th. I'll be using some of my vacation time around then to pack, clean and avoid our "professional" development day at work (which is neither professional nor provides any useful development). This year I hear our "speaker" is some bad motivational woman with Loretta Lynn hair. Thanks, but no thanks. Darn, just happen to be moving that week. Sorry.
We went to breakfast at Mitchell's saturday and surprisingly it didn't suck. John has lovingly nicknamed that restaurant "the place where waitresses go to die". The service is usually horrible and the food is usually mediocre at best. I know - how do you screw up eggs? They usually find a way.
This past weekend we started packing some stuff. Well, I should say I started packing some stuff. John excavated the office closet, the contents of which is now barfed all over the office floor. What fun huh? Actually it's not so bad. You can't go through your shit withoug making a mess first.
So yeah, that was the excitement of my weekend and will probably be the excitement of my weekends for the next 6 weeks.
yippie.
We went to breakfast at Mitchell's saturday and surprisingly it didn't suck. John has lovingly nicknamed that restaurant "the place where waitresses go to die". The service is usually horrible and the food is usually mediocre at best. I know - how do you screw up eggs? They usually find a way.
This past weekend we started packing some stuff. Well, I should say I started packing some stuff. John excavated the office closet, the contents of which is now barfed all over the office floor. What fun huh? Actually it's not so bad. You can't go through your shit withoug making a mess first.
So yeah, that was the excitement of my weekend and will probably be the excitement of my weekends for the next 6 weeks.
yippie.
15 May 2005
US Hypocrisy (reprise)
Not that anyone who reads my blog needs any more proof that Bush, and the US Government in general are a bunch of hypocrites, but here we go:
Uzbekistan, a country just North of Afghanistan where the US keeps some of our toops fighting the war on terror, is one of the most oppressive and brutal post-Soviet regimes in that area. But the US supports the regime because they help us. We send them prisoners to torture.
Now Uzbekistan is on the verge of a revolution against the authoritarian military government. Uzbeks are trying to overthrow an oppressive government, trying to establish democracy, and what do the US Troops do? Nothing. Even when the Uzbek army fires on unarmed protestors? Nothing. Bush was just in that region, commending the success of post-soviet bloc countries. Well not this one. And as we're wasting our time in Iraq, a country which yes, was in need of regime change but did not ask for our help, we are letting innocent people die in Uzbekistan.
Still wonder 'why "they" hate us'?
Uzbekistan, a country just North of Afghanistan where the US keeps some of our toops fighting the war on terror, is one of the most oppressive and brutal post-Soviet regimes in that area. But the US supports the regime because they help us. We send them prisoners to torture.
Now Uzbekistan is on the verge of a revolution against the authoritarian military government. Uzbeks are trying to overthrow an oppressive government, trying to establish democracy, and what do the US Troops do? Nothing. Even when the Uzbek army fires on unarmed protestors? Nothing. Bush was just in that region, commending the success of post-soviet bloc countries. Well not this one. And as we're wasting our time in Iraq, a country which yes, was in need of regime change but did not ask for our help, we are letting innocent people die in Uzbekistan.
Still wonder 'why "they" hate us'?
13 May 2005
Say what you will...
So Monday, May 9 as I'm leaving my final exam, I have a run-in with one of those street preachers handing out Bible tracts. He was passing them out on the corner, and lucky me, the light just turned red, I was trapped:
Me: "No thank you"
Him: "why not"
Me: "I'm not a christian"
Him: "What are you"
Me: "I'm a witch"
Him: "A what? You're too pretty to be a witch"
The light turns green & I start to walk away... he follows me
Him: "I thought witches were ugly"
Now, I have two choices here. I can conform to his already warped opinion of other religions and ignore him, or call him an ignorant sonofabitch. Or, I can be nice and maybe he'll come off the the impression that we're not all ugly and ride around on broomsticks.
Me: "That is a common misconception propogated by (choosing word carefully) uninformed people." Then I said something I don't remember about the difference between xtians & witches.
Him: "I'd like to talk about this more"
Me: "Uh, I gotta go"
Him: "Well how can I find you"
Again, me at a crossroads. I am not quick on my feet in terms of combacks etc. Now I look back and see I could have said I was visiting a friend and I'm from out of town, I could have politely said no thanks. But again, not wanting to leave him with the impression that I was just another unsaved bitch, what do I do? I give him my card.
I know, I know...
My thinking was this: I have caller ID on my phone at work, I can avoid his calls. If I do happen to pick up and he turns out to be a dick who wants to convert me, I can tell him to shove it - in a nice, pluralistic no-thankyou sort of way. If he keeps calling, the University can pursue a case for harassing phone calls.
So say what you will about me being a dummy. I like discussing things like this and I didn't get a crazy vibe off him. I mean, you have to be a certain kind of crazy to hand out Bible tracts in the Loop to begin with. But he didn't seem "honk if you need a prayer" crazy or Green-Line, Queen Tequila crazy (a story for another time). He seemed genuinely interested in a discussion, and I don't mind that. I was a religious studies minor in undergrad - I guess I like disucssing religion. Maybe he was acting, but we'll see. If he was a religious nutcase he would have simply had the same reaction as any other street preacher when I said I was a witch... stare, mouth agape.
So anyway, I got 2 voicemail messages by Wednesday. I didn't pick it up Tuesday because I started thinking about what if he was a crazy and I actually was busy at the time. No more calls since then, and darn! he didn't leave a callback number.
I'll be sure to letchy'all know if he calls back...
Me: "No thank you"
Him: "why not"
Me: "I'm not a christian"
Him: "What are you"
Me: "I'm a witch"
Him: "A what? You're too pretty to be a witch"
The light turns green & I start to walk away... he follows me
Him: "I thought witches were ugly"
Now, I have two choices here. I can conform to his already warped opinion of other religions and ignore him, or call him an ignorant sonofabitch. Or, I can be nice and maybe he'll come off the the impression that we're not all ugly and ride around on broomsticks.
Me: "That is a common misconception propogated by (choosing word carefully) uninformed people." Then I said something I don't remember about the difference between xtians & witches.
Him: "I'd like to talk about this more"
Me: "Uh, I gotta go"
Him: "Well how can I find you"
Again, me at a crossroads. I am not quick on my feet in terms of combacks etc. Now I look back and see I could have said I was visiting a friend and I'm from out of town, I could have politely said no thanks. But again, not wanting to leave him with the impression that I was just another unsaved bitch, what do I do? I give him my card.
I know, I know...
My thinking was this: I have caller ID on my phone at work, I can avoid his calls. If I do happen to pick up and he turns out to be a dick who wants to convert me, I can tell him to shove it - in a nice, pluralistic no-thankyou sort of way. If he keeps calling, the University can pursue a case for harassing phone calls.
So say what you will about me being a dummy. I like discussing things like this and I didn't get a crazy vibe off him. I mean, you have to be a certain kind of crazy to hand out Bible tracts in the Loop to begin with. But he didn't seem "honk if you need a prayer" crazy or Green-Line, Queen Tequila crazy (a story for another time). He seemed genuinely interested in a discussion, and I don't mind that. I was a religious studies minor in undergrad - I guess I like disucssing religion. Maybe he was acting, but we'll see. If he was a religious nutcase he would have simply had the same reaction as any other street preacher when I said I was a witch... stare, mouth agape.
So anyway, I got 2 voicemail messages by Wednesday. I didn't pick it up Tuesday because I started thinking about what if he was a crazy and I actually was busy at the time. No more calls since then, and darn! he didn't leave a callback number.
I'll be sure to letchy'all know if he calls back...
12 May 2005
I can't fucking believe this
well, actually, I can. They have a potential, viable vaccine for HPV - one of the most widespread, untreatable STDs ever, and the FDA wants to block it because it might send the "wrong" message to teens. So is this what we're up against if they ever invent an AIDS vaccine too? The wrong message is telling children you'd rather have them dead than having sex... but then again, HPV only has the potential of killing girls by giving them cervical cancer. And usually that happens after they've served their purpose as brood mares for the state. So who cares right?
What the fuck is wrong with these people. Get your fucking religion out of other people's lives. I'm sick and tired of it. Sick to death.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050530&s=pollitt
What the fuck is wrong with these people. Get your fucking religion out of other people's lives. I'm sick and tired of it. Sick to death.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050530&s=pollitt
Freethinkers
I just started reading the book Freethinkers: The History of American Secularism. I got it for Christmas, but haven't had time to read anything but class-related stuff until now. Hopefully I can finish it before my Summer class starts on May 23 (yes, I know, I'm crazy).
Anyway, I'm only in the first few chapters, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this topic or anyone who is tired of having the conservatives in their lives hijack Thomas Jefferson et. al. as good Christian men. Highly recommended. It's now out in paperback, and I'd be happy to loan it out when I'm done.
Anyway, I'm only in the first few chapters, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this topic or anyone who is tired of having the conservatives in their lives hijack Thomas Jefferson et. al. as good Christian men. Highly recommended. It's now out in paperback, and I'd be happy to loan it out when I'm done.
11 May 2005
The scary unknown strangers
So the father of one of the murdered little girls in Zion has admitted to killing them both. Apparently the girls broke curfew and he went to get them from the park. He got into an argument Laura, his 8-year old daughter, and punched her and her friend. Krystal tried to protect Laura with a small knife, which Hobbs used to stab both girls.
No matter how many times I read a story like this, I can't help but think the same thing:
Time and Time again we hear about someone being murdered or attacked by someone they know, usually a current or estranged friend or family member. Statistically speaking, most violent crimes are perpetrated by someone known to the victim. We are more likely to be harmed by someone we know than by a stranger. But no matter how many times we see this, people still have that irrational fear of the scary stranger lurking in the shadows. The scary black or hispanic man usually.
Why is that I wonder? Does it make us feel somehow more secure to believe that crime is random? Maybe it's too unsettling to think that you might not know your friends and family as well as you think you do? I'm really not sure. What do you think?
No matter how many times I read a story like this, I can't help but think the same thing:
Time and Time again we hear about someone being murdered or attacked by someone they know, usually a current or estranged friend or family member. Statistically speaking, most violent crimes are perpetrated by someone known to the victim. We are more likely to be harmed by someone we know than by a stranger. But no matter how many times we see this, people still have that irrational fear of the scary stranger lurking in the shadows. The scary black or hispanic man usually.
Why is that I wonder? Does it make us feel somehow more secure to believe that crime is random? Maybe it's too unsettling to think that you might not know your friends and family as well as you think you do? I'm really not sure. What do you think?
10 May 2005
Rampant Consumerism
It's everywhere. I've known it for a long time, as I'm sure, so have many of you. In light of last night's final exam in my "graduate" class, I am in desperate need to vent about the commodification of education. Basically, I'm one of those weird people that actually like to earn my grades. The class I just finished was cross-listed (contained undergrad & grad students). That itself isn't a problem, but rarely do instructors make the effort to really differentiate the two groups. So I'm supposedly receiving a graduate education, when in fact, I'm doing the same work as undergrads. The amount of extra credit offered was a joke, and the final exam I just finished bordered on ridiculous. I had harder tests in High School. The problem is that most students nowadays wouldn't mind this trend. They recommend teachers to each other who are "easy A's", etc. and feel they are purchasing a piece of paper, rather than earning anything.
This is a trend that has been happening for a while. I remember in my previous institution of higher education (and employment) reading student comments on the satisfaction surveys that basically said "I pay good money, I deserve 'A's in my classes. And I'm sorry to say by the latest generation of college students, children raised by selfish 80's yuppies, are the worst of the worst of this group. Go figure, selfish people full of self-entitlement raising selfish children? No way. When we looked at these sorts of comments by the students age, there was a direct relationship. Older students were much more appreciative of the opportunity and recognized that they must put forth effort to earn their grades. Younger students felt they were purchasing a degree, like they would purchase their new Louis Vuitton handbag. I actually had someone in my most recent class, use the "I'm paying for this class" argument after she became belligerent and argumentative with the professor and was asked to leave the class.
Grade inflation is rampant, in part because teachers are evaluated for tenure in part by student evaluations of teaching. If instructors have students who will rate them poorly just because they graded students honestly, then I can't say I blame them for being a little more lenient. There have also been lawsuits filed against teachers for flunking students. What kind of lesson does THAT teach them? I also blame the elementary and secondary education systems for graduating students who clearly should have been held back. This will only get worse when No Child Left Behind hits full swing. Schools will be evaluated on test scores and graduation rates - herd the kids in and out the doors, regardless of whether they learn anything.
So, beware, someday a college degree may only be worth the paper it's printed on, plus the cost of admission.
This is a trend that has been happening for a while. I remember in my previous institution of higher education (and employment) reading student comments on the satisfaction surveys that basically said "I pay good money, I deserve 'A's in my classes. And I'm sorry to say by the latest generation of college students, children raised by selfish 80's yuppies, are the worst of the worst of this group. Go figure, selfish people full of self-entitlement raising selfish children? No way. When we looked at these sorts of comments by the students age, there was a direct relationship. Older students were much more appreciative of the opportunity and recognized that they must put forth effort to earn their grades. Younger students felt they were purchasing a degree, like they would purchase their new Louis Vuitton handbag. I actually had someone in my most recent class, use the "I'm paying for this class" argument after she became belligerent and argumentative with the professor and was asked to leave the class.
Grade inflation is rampant, in part because teachers are evaluated for tenure in part by student evaluations of teaching. If instructors have students who will rate them poorly just because they graded students honestly, then I can't say I blame them for being a little more lenient. There have also been lawsuits filed against teachers for flunking students. What kind of lesson does THAT teach them? I also blame the elementary and secondary education systems for graduating students who clearly should have been held back. This will only get worse when No Child Left Behind hits full swing. Schools will be evaluated on test scores and graduation rates - herd the kids in and out the doors, regardless of whether they learn anything.
So, beware, someday a college degree may only be worth the paper it's printed on, plus the cost of admission.
09 May 2005
06 May 2005
The TRUth and nothing but...
So last week at dinner, SecretRudy mentioned a restaurant in Chicago, TRU. I'd heard of it before, but I couldn't remember where, so I went to the website. Then it dawned on me that Executive Chef Rick Tramonto is the asshole who got into a fight with Charlie Trotter over Trotter's decision to stop serving Foie Gras at his restaurant. In short, Trotter heard about the horrific treatment of the birds used to make Foie Gras and decided he didn't want a part of it. Tramonto called him a hypocrite because "if you eat animals, you eat animals". Well, that's TRU to a certain extent. But that doesn't mean that you can't demand ethical and humane treatment of the animals you eat. I eat meat, yes. But that doesn't mean that I can't demand that the animals we eat be treated with dignity and I buy free-range chicken and eggs. I saw an anti-Foie Gras website (don't go if you're squeamish or sensitive) and basically the process is this:
It's not just Foie Gras, most of the meat processing in this country is inhumane. But we have to line our pockes and make as much profit as possible, no matter the damage right?
Needless to say, I shant be dining at TRU. I'm sure the food is fantastic, but anyone that dense doesn't deserve my hard earned money.
As everything does in the country, this all comes down to money. It's obviously cheaper to keep birds in these awful conditions and fatten them quickly rather than naturally. God forbid anyone have to pay a few extra bucks for better conditions, right?(SQUEAMISH PEOPLE - SKIP THIS PARAGRAH)Birds are kept in tiny cages wallowing in their own filth. They're taken to a feeding machine which has a long metal tube attached to it. The tube is jammed down the birds throat, releasing several pounds of grain into the birds stomach within a few seconds. Geese and Ducks have no gag reflex, so their bodies are forced to process all that food - thus fattening up their livers, which is what makes Foie Gras good I guess. The machine results in birds choking to death, living with injuries, and sometimes even breaking their beaks. But the processors don't care about that since they're just going to kill the bird eventually anyway.OK. IT'S SAFE NOW...
It's not just Foie Gras, most of the meat processing in this country is inhumane. But we have to line our pockes and make as much profit as possible, no matter the damage right?
Needless to say, I shant be dining at TRU. I'm sure the food is fantastic, but anyone that dense doesn't deserve my hard earned money.
05 May 2005
Carmina Burana
John and I went last night to the Chicago College of Performing Arts annual concert. It's a fundraising & publicity event where their students team up with local professional musicians and CCPA faculty. They were performing, as you can guess by the title of this post, Carmina Burana. Staff & students could get two free tickets, so I told John I wanted to go. We need a little culture now and then: (Steve Martin in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: "I've got culture coming out of my ass").
Anyway, the performance was fantastique.
It also reminded me of the techno remix of "O Fortuna" that I heard at Neo one time. If anyone knows how/where to get a copy of that - please let me know.
Anyway, the performance was fantastique.
It also reminded me of the techno remix of "O Fortuna" that I heard at Neo one time. If anyone knows how/where to get a copy of that - please let me know.
04 May 2005
Monsterburger!
What is the point of a 15lb burger? Really? I mean, just because we CAN do something, doesn't mean there really is a reason to. No wonder the rest of the world hates us. What message does a 15lb burger really send? That Americans can care less about hunger and homelessness here or abroad. Our time and money and food could be spent in far more productive ways.
It's the little things that show our true nature. Why do they hate us? (the favorite post-9/11 question) - because we're selfish prigs who could care less about anyone but ourselves. America is a great concept for a country. Too bad most Americans suck.
--
By Charlie Madigan
The Rambling Gleaner
Tribune senior correspondent
Published May 3, 2005, 1:29 PM CDT
Matthew Williams, the kitchen chief at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pa., picked up the phone and took a break from his kitchen work to describe how to construct a 15-pound hamburger.
You read that right: It's a 15-pound hamburger, the biggest commercial burger ever and now a menu item at Denny's, where bigger burgers have been a-buildin' since the doors opened in 1977. It costs $30.
Best call ahead.
It starts, of course, with the meat. Denny's buys its extra lean hamburger meat from Gordon Food Services of Pittsburgh. Take 15 pounds of it, put it into the shape of a very big hamburger and then cook it.
Matthew says you cook a burger that big in a slow cook oven on a sheet pan. "You can't put it in anything else because it's so big. It creates quite the grease mess and you have to pour all of that off."
It takes two-and-a-half hours to cook the 15-pounder, and that's just the oven part. They take the beast out of the oven and then put it on a charbroiler and flip it a couple of times to get the right kind of broiler lines in it. When it's 160 degrees f. in the center, it's ready to roll.
Actually, it's ready to put on a roll.
That comes from Pacifico Bakery in Altoona, about 55 miles down the mountain, as they say locally, from Clearfield. Matthew said it took quite a while to perfect the bun. A bun that big has to have some staying power, especially when it has 15 pounds of meat in it.
Matthew says it helps if you toast it a bit.
So, you shift back to the big burger once you have toasted the bun.
You put 25 slices of cheese on top, a mix of regular American, yellow American and Swiss American. If you alternate them properly, they add a nice color to the product, Matthew says.
You put the burger in the bun (forklift?) and serve it up to its victims...whoops, customers. Since last Saturday, when the 15-pound burger was introduced at Denny's, two of them have been sold and consumed.
We decided to ask Denny, that is 53-year-old Denny Liegey, a lifelong Clearfield resident, exactly why he is doing this.
Denny said he was looking for something extreme. He was the initiator of the original Clearfield burger challenge back in 1991, when he introduced the two-pound burger. In 1993, he introduced the three-pound burger. Then there was a quantum leap in burger construction in 1996, when Denny invented what he called "Ye Olde 96er," which was six pounds of burger and a whopping five pounds of topping.
My God! Who could eat such a thing?
Kate Stelnick out of Princeton, N.J., says Denny. No one had been able to eat that 96er until last February, when the 100-pound Garden Stater attacked all 11 pounds of one and finished it right down to the platter in two hours and 54 minutes.
"Actually, I just spoke to her. She's still down to fighting weight," Denny said.
Denny said when he was thinking about new challenges, he realized that the place has that whole line of big burgers for the individual artist on its 22-page menu, but he wanted something more communal.
"It's for the extreme person," he said of the 15-pound burger. "It's a two-man tag team challenge."
The deep motive behind this gigantic burger?
"With all the craziness in the world today, it's something to divert yourself from all the crap."
I checked and checked and there is absolutely no way to fit this into the South Beach Diet program, even for a team of, say, 30 people.
It's the little things that show our true nature. Why do they hate us? (the favorite post-9/11 question) - because we're selfish prigs who could care less about anyone but ourselves. America is a great concept for a country. Too bad most Americans suck.
--
By Charlie Madigan
The Rambling Gleaner
Tribune senior correspondent
Published May 3, 2005, 1:29 PM CDT
Matthew Williams, the kitchen chief at Denny's Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield, Pa., picked up the phone and took a break from his kitchen work to describe how to construct a 15-pound hamburger.
You read that right: It's a 15-pound hamburger, the biggest commercial burger ever and now a menu item at Denny's, where bigger burgers have been a-buildin' since the doors opened in 1977. It costs $30.
Best call ahead.
It starts, of course, with the meat. Denny's buys its extra lean hamburger meat from Gordon Food Services of Pittsburgh. Take 15 pounds of it, put it into the shape of a very big hamburger and then cook it.
Matthew says you cook a burger that big in a slow cook oven on a sheet pan. "You can't put it in anything else because it's so big. It creates quite the grease mess and you have to pour all of that off."
It takes two-and-a-half hours to cook the 15-pounder, and that's just the oven part. They take the beast out of the oven and then put it on a charbroiler and flip it a couple of times to get the right kind of broiler lines in it. When it's 160 degrees f. in the center, it's ready to roll.
Actually, it's ready to put on a roll.
That comes from Pacifico Bakery in Altoona, about 55 miles down the mountain, as they say locally, from Clearfield. Matthew said it took quite a while to perfect the bun. A bun that big has to have some staying power, especially when it has 15 pounds of meat in it.
Matthew says it helps if you toast it a bit.
So, you shift back to the big burger once you have toasted the bun.
You put 25 slices of cheese on top, a mix of regular American, yellow American and Swiss American. If you alternate them properly, they add a nice color to the product, Matthew says.
You put the burger in the bun (forklift?) and serve it up to its victims...whoops, customers. Since last Saturday, when the 15-pound burger was introduced at Denny's, two of them have been sold and consumed.
We decided to ask Denny, that is 53-year-old Denny Liegey, a lifelong Clearfield resident, exactly why he is doing this.
Denny said he was looking for something extreme. He was the initiator of the original Clearfield burger challenge back in 1991, when he introduced the two-pound burger. In 1993, he introduced the three-pound burger. Then there was a quantum leap in burger construction in 1996, when Denny invented what he called "Ye Olde 96er," which was six pounds of burger and a whopping five pounds of topping.
My God! Who could eat such a thing?
Kate Stelnick out of Princeton, N.J., says Denny. No one had been able to eat that 96er until last February, when the 100-pound Garden Stater attacked all 11 pounds of one and finished it right down to the platter in two hours and 54 minutes.
"Actually, I just spoke to her. She's still down to fighting weight," Denny said.
Denny said when he was thinking about new challenges, he realized that the place has that whole line of big burgers for the individual artist on its 22-page menu, but he wanted something more communal.
"It's for the extreme person," he said of the 15-pound burger. "It's a two-man tag team challenge."
The deep motive behind this gigantic burger?
"With all the craziness in the world today, it's something to divert yourself from all the crap."
I checked and checked and there is absolutely no way to fit this into the South Beach Diet program, even for a team of, say, 30 people.
03 May 2005
86 Rules of Boozing
Funny Funny...
From the Modern Drunkard:
55. If you think you might be slurring a little, then you are slurring a lot. If you think you are slurring a lot, then you are not speaking English.
From the Modern Drunkard:
55. If you think you might be slurring a little, then you are slurring a lot. If you think you are slurring a lot, then you are not speaking English.
Take your child to work day
I know, it was last week - I'm late. But I didn't really think about it until this morning. John told me I should take Annie (our dog) to work with me today, and I said that "Take your child to work day" was last week. Then it dawned on me:
At least where I work, they have all sorts of fun kids activities during that day. I'm not saying there's a problem with that. But doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of taking your kid to work? The point was (at first) to encourage little girls (take your daughter to work day) to explore fields of work that weren't typical for girls at that time. Well, unless mommy and daddy play fun games all day at work as their job - what's the point of taking your kid to work to play games? But the fact is, that most people's jobs are so mundane that a kid would be bored out of his/her gourd. So to keep the kids occupied, you play games and activities. But then they're really not learning what it's like to be a 'professional'. Am I making sense?
I mean, if you have an unusual or interesting job, that's one thing. If you're not sitting in front of a computer all day, fine. But most of us don't have interesting or unusual jobs - and we know it. So rather than just taking a day off and taking kids to the zoo, we subject them to a boring day of paper-pushing and sugar-coating the real life lesson to be learned: You will most likely NOT be an astronaut, a rock star, a dancer or President of the United States.
Kind of silly when you think about it.
At least where I work, they have all sorts of fun kids activities during that day. I'm not saying there's a problem with that. But doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose of taking your kid to work? The point was (at first) to encourage little girls (take your daughter to work day) to explore fields of work that weren't typical for girls at that time. Well, unless mommy and daddy play fun games all day at work as their job - what's the point of taking your kid to work to play games? But the fact is, that most people's jobs are so mundane that a kid would be bored out of his/her gourd. So to keep the kids occupied, you play games and activities. But then they're really not learning what it's like to be a 'professional'. Am I making sense?
I mean, if you have an unusual or interesting job, that's one thing. If you're not sitting in front of a computer all day, fine. But most of us don't have interesting or unusual jobs - and we know it. So rather than just taking a day off and taking kids to the zoo, we subject them to a boring day of paper-pushing and sugar-coating the real life lesson to be learned: You will most likely NOT be an astronaut, a rock star, a dancer or President of the United States.
Kind of silly when you think about it.
02 May 2005
I love Katha Pollitt
How many times must I say that?
This article is from the most recent Nation:
This article is from the most recent Nation:
Practice What You Preach
[from the May 16, 2005 issue]
Pharmacists think they have the right to deny women birth control and the morning-after pill. Senator Frist thinks God wants more ultraconservative judges on the federal bench and if you disagree, well, you know where you're going. Forget common ground, it's time to divide up the country. The red-state blue-state map is too crude--too many blue pegs in red holes and vice versa. In the great tradition of American individualism and modern in-depth polling procedures, let's make everyone respond, in writing, to a detailed questionnaire on hot-button "values issues" and then be legally compelled to live by the answers they give. It's a glorious blend of academic right and left--rational choice theory (people make decisions in their own best interests) meets postmodernism (there is no one truth).
Consider what happened in Louisiana, Arkansas and Arizona, where engaged couples can opt for a more restrictive form of marriage. Despite its popularity among conservative pundits and preachers, covenant marriage--which allows only a select few grounds for divorce, like infidelity--has attracted less than 2 percent of marrying couples. That tells us something important about the way people want to live as opposed to the way they think other people should live, and what people choose when they have to live with the results. Let's apply that principle more broadly. For example:
1. Stem-cell research. According to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, 22 percent of the population thinks extracting stem cells from pre-embryos frozen in fertility clinics is unethical. These tender souls have prevailed upon the Bush Administration to restrict federal funds for stem-cell research. This has resulted in a bidding war among states eager to lure researchers, which nobody sees as the best way to do the science. Why not split the difference? Bring back federal funding, but those who oppose it can take the appropriate tax cut. The catch is, they agree to forgo any cures stem-cell research might yield: They'll have to live with their Parkinson's, diabetes, Alzheimer's or cancer, which, since they believe stem-cell research is wrong, is surely what they would want to do anyway.
2. Creationism. According to NBC, 44 percent of Americans believe that the biblical account of Creation--God, six days, species created individually in the forms that now exist--is literally true. According to Gallup, 45 percent believe the Earth is at most 10,000 years old. A CBS News poll found that 65 percent believe these versions of events should be taught in school alongside evolution, and that given the opportunity 37 percent would ditch Darwinism altogether. Under the new plan, creationists could continue their efforts to wreck science education and dumb down their kids--but first, they would pledge to abstain from any real-life benefits of evolutionary theory. Flu vaccines, for example, rely for their effectiveness on yearly reformulation to account for the evolution of the influenza virus. No evolution? Achoo for you!
3. Terri Schiavo-like situations. According to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll, 24 percent of the population worry they'll be allowed to die if their brain turns into boiled squash. Sixty-one percent fear that they'll be kept alive forever in a boiled-squash state. Under the new plan, everyone signs a living will, to be updated yearly. Those who opt for life are enrolled in the private squash-maintenance program of their choice--Comatose for Christ, Operation Get Randall Terry on TV, Concerned Women for Zucchini. Those who prefer a quick exit go off in a delightful NORML-funded haze of controlled substances--they'll be totally unaware of it, unfortunately, but it's a nice thought.
4. Teen sex. Every school will offer both abstinence-only and comprehensive sex ed--parents can sign their kids up for the course they prefer. In states with notification/consent laws, parents will remain free to discourage or prevent their daughters from having abortions. The catch is, if they choose this route, they are legally responsible for the total financial support through college of the babies their underage daughters produce. After all, if a girl is too young to learn about birth control, too young to have sex and too young to decide on her own to have an abortion, she's obviously too young to be a mother. Having made the choice for her, the parents should bear the consequences. If they don't like this system, they can try to extract child support from the baby's father (or his parents), and good luck to them.
5. Capital punishment. Against it? Should you be convicted of murder or the like, instead of lethal injection you get a long stay at a Swedish-style prison with college classes, a salad bar and condom dispensers in every shower room. Pro-death penalty? Uh-oh: there's Sister Helen Prejean. Your appeal must not be going well. You should have more carefully evaluated your propensity for mayhem and/or the fallibility of the justice system.
6. English only. Do you blow a gasket when your ATM asks you if you'd like to bank en español? Check the English-only box, and get priority on tract housing in Utah or Idaho. But first, just to make sure your own linguistic skills do justice to the language of Shakespeare, Woolf and Baldwin, you'll be enrolled in a free, intensive, yearlong literature class taught by brilliant, dedicated, culturally conservative professors who firmly believe they failed to get tenure at Ivy League universities because of their resistance to grade inflation and what passes for education these days. Less than a B sends you back to the land from which your ancestors most recently escaped.
7. The judiciary. Guardians of liberty or power-hungry perverts? Maybe a little of both? If you think the courts should say what's constitutional, your lawsuits get decided by judges and, yes, that includes Antonin Scalia. If you think judges have too much power, so be it: Your lawsuits go before a panel made up of marital counselors, rational choice theorists, postmodernists and the people who decide whether your HMO covers your hospital bills.
Check your mailbox for the values questionnaire, and think very, very carefully about your answers. For the first time in history, you will be stuck with them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)