A while back I mentioned something about Richard Cheese and was prompted by a commentor to create a list of my favorites. Lists are something I find difficult to do because I always forget something and my tastes are so diverse that there is just too much material to choose from. In any case, as of my current mood this morning, here is a list of my favorite cover songs. Now this is tribute and 'spoof' covers, but not remakes ala Weird Al (whom I also love).
10) Enjoy the Silence: Tori Amos (originally by Depeche Mode).
9) Killing me Softly: the Fugees (this song has been redone so many times, I don't know)
8) Love Rollercoaster: Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally by the Ohio Players)
7) Viva Las Vegas: Jello Biafra (originally by Elvis Presley)
6) Top of the World: Shonen Knife (originally by the Carpenters)
5) Blue Monday: Orgy (originally by New Order)
4) Me & Julio: Me First & the Gimme Gimmes (originally by Paul Simon)
3) Higher Ground: Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally by Stevie Wonder)
2) I'm your Boogie Man: White Zombie (originally by KC and the Sunshine Band)
1) Creep: Richard Cheese (originally by Radiohead).
Loungified Radiohead is just something you have to hear for yourself. And every time I hear this I can't help but remember Dr. Joe totally tanked at our wedding reception running to the dance floor yelling "it's CREEEEP". That was just too funny for words. That has to be my favorite memory of the reception next to Donna sticking her head under the champagne fountain. Ah... drunk people is fun.
What's yours?
I was also recently introduced to the Eels after hearing this, (requires quicktime) and promptly bought the whole album on itunes. Highly recommended.
30 June 2005
29 June 2005
Time of Sacrifice?
We were told that the sacrifices being made in and for Iraq are "worth" it. But the very people telling us this have made no sacrifices themselves. Worried about unemployment, rising costs of health care, poor educational systems, tax cuts for the rich and inflation? Don't be, they say. It will all work out. Sure, for them.
This pisses me off:
This pisses me off:
WASHINGTON, June 28 - The House agreed Tuesday that members of Congress should earn $3,100 more next year, bringing their salaries to $165,200.
By a vote of 263 to 152, the House blocked a bid by Representative Jim Matheson, Democrat of Utah, to force a vote on the increase. Instead, lawmakers will automatically receive the money as provided for in a 1989 law that barred them from accepting large speaking fees in exchange for an annual cost of living adjustment.
Mr. Matheson was the only House member to speak out against the increase, which will take effect in January.
Young Republicans
Related to Great White Bear's recent post, the Nation has a piece on the College Republican convention. In it, the author is asking several attendees why, if they support the war, are they here and not in Iraq. The most honest answer I've seen to this question yet is this:
"The country is like a body," Palmer explained, "and each part of the body has a different function. Certain people do certain things better than others."
So poor, uneducated people with limited opportunity are "better" at dying than elitist young yuppies? Social Darwinism at its best. Maybe he meant that, due to the everyday struggles these people face due to social and economic policies imposed by his party, they are better able to deal with adversity and have more courage. Yeah, I doubt it too.
At least he was honest in his answer, unlike many others in the article. This is truly what I believe many war supporters think - they are "too good" or "too important" to die in the war they so wholeheartedly support. Either that or they couldn't sacrifice their opportunity to go to "the number one business school in the contry" as one student stated. But it's ok that they advocate others' sacrificing their livelihood, opportunities and their very lives? I guess that's one way to eliminate poverty in our society - send all the poor people off to die.
They have better things to do, like make money and play golf, while sending other people's children off to die. These fucks should be the first to go in the inevitable draft.
Generation Chickenhawk
"The country is like a body," Palmer explained, "and each part of the body has a different function. Certain people do certain things better than others."
So poor, uneducated people with limited opportunity are "better" at dying than elitist young yuppies? Social Darwinism at its best. Maybe he meant that, due to the everyday struggles these people face due to social and economic policies imposed by his party, they are better able to deal with adversity and have more courage. Yeah, I doubt it too.
At least he was honest in his answer, unlike many others in the article. This is truly what I believe many war supporters think - they are "too good" or "too important" to die in the war they so wholeheartedly support. Either that or they couldn't sacrifice their opportunity to go to "the number one business school in the contry" as one student stated. But it's ok that they advocate others' sacrificing their livelihood, opportunities and their very lives? I guess that's one way to eliminate poverty in our society - send all the poor people off to die.
They have better things to do, like make money and play golf, while sending other people's children off to die. These fucks should be the first to go in the inevitable draft.
Generation Chickenhawk
Movies I want to see
In no particular order, these are the movies I want to see this summer. I'll forget a few obviously since my brain is not a repository of film trailers...
Land of the Dead: Everyone I know that has seen it liked it. Read Jeff's review. Though I always liked horror, Jeff is what you might call a connoisseur of the obscure.
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory: How long have I been waiting for Tim Burton to make this movie???? too long.
Crash: I heard it's good and it's playing at the Davis, so why not.
Herbie Fully Loaded: Kidding. Just making sure you're payin attention.
Batman Begins: I've heard pretty good things about it. It seems worth seeing.
I did want to see War of the Worlds until Tom Cruise started making even more of an ass out of himself than usual. His latest antics have left me with no desire to pay $9 to see it. I'll wait, I don't care how good it is. My money isn't going to the Happy Fun Cult.
I forget what else is coming out this Summer.
On another note, the Brew & View has a great triple feature this weekend: Sin City, Monster-in-Law & Kung Fu Hustle. Monster In Law isn't something I'd normally pay to see - I would probably catch it free on cable. But when sandwiched in between the other two - how bad can it be for $5 with a beer in your hand?
Land of the Dead: Everyone I know that has seen it liked it. Read Jeff's review. Though I always liked horror, Jeff is what you might call a connoisseur of the obscure.
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory: How long have I been waiting for Tim Burton to make this movie???? too long.
Crash: I heard it's good and it's playing at the Davis, so why not.
Herbie Fully Loaded: Kidding. Just making sure you're payin attention.
Batman Begins: I've heard pretty good things about it. It seems worth seeing.
I did want to see War of the Worlds until Tom Cruise started making even more of an ass out of himself than usual. His latest antics have left me with no desire to pay $9 to see it. I'll wait, I don't care how good it is. My money isn't going to the Happy Fun Cult.
I forget what else is coming out this Summer.
On another note, the Brew & View has a great triple feature this weekend: Sin City, Monster-in-Law & Kung Fu Hustle. Monster In Law isn't something I'd normally pay to see - I would probably catch it free on cable. But when sandwiched in between the other two - how bad can it be for $5 with a beer in your hand?
28 June 2005
I warned them
In my class last week, we were talking about whether or not the final exam should be take-home. Now I'm the only grad student in the class, there's about 7 undergrads. The prof. offered the option and said we could vote on it. Me, not caring either way, abstained. However, I warned them that the few times this has been an option for me the take-home version is always a lot harder than the in-class exam because you have more time and you have your books. I tried warning them, they didn't listen.
So last night, we opted for the take-home. It's due via email by 6pm Wednesday evening and he expects that our answers to the essay question should be around 8 pages and is worth 40% of the course grade. To which the undergrads' mouths went agape. I didn't say "I toldja so" but I was thinking it. That is longer than the term paper they were required to write and about the same as my term paper.
So that's what I'm doing tonight, writing an 8 page essay rather than being out with my cousins who are in town last-minute from Arizona.
Oh well.
So last night, we opted for the take-home. It's due via email by 6pm Wednesday evening and he expects that our answers to the essay question should be around 8 pages and is worth 40% of the course grade. To which the undergrads' mouths went agape. I didn't say "I toldja so" but I was thinking it. That is longer than the term paper they were required to write and about the same as my term paper.
So that's what I'm doing tonight, writing an 8 page essay rather than being out with my cousins who are in town last-minute from Arizona.
Oh well.
Um.....
John said the next time he does something stupid that this will be his excuse:
"A California man facing life in prison for crashing his car into a UPS truck will not dispute that his actions resulted in the death of the driver when his trial opens Monday in Nevada County Superior Court. Instead, Scott Krause's defense will argue that the defendant believed he was trying to escape man-eating subterranean beings when he ran into Drew Reynolds' truck on Jan. 6, 2004."
"A California man facing life in prison for crashing his car into a UPS truck will not dispute that his actions resulted in the death of the driver when his trial opens Monday in Nevada County Superior Court. Instead, Scott Krause's defense will argue that the defendant believed he was trying to escape man-eating subterranean beings when he ran into Drew Reynolds' truck on Jan. 6, 2004."
I'm Lovin the new Hood
Can I just say I feel like I'm in the freakin twilight zone in our new neighborhood? Lincoln Square is so... friendly. Strangers actually engage you in conversation without eyeing you up and down to make sure you have the latest Coach purse (indicating you are worthy of Lincoln Park trixie conversation). Even John is talking to strangers, which is totally out of character since he generally distrusts most people.
It's a very homey feeling place. And I haven't seen a single H2 yet!
I do miss central air conditioning, especially this past weekend. The benefit of a duplex is that the downstairs stays pretty cool.
Also: from CNN "With his approval rate sinking, President Bush tonight addresses the nation about his "clear strategy" for Iraq"... is it just me, or SHOULD THEY HAVE HAD A CLEAR FUCKING PLAN TO BEGIN WITH?!?!?!?!?
It's a very homey feeling place. And I haven't seen a single H2 yet!
I do miss central air conditioning, especially this past weekend. The benefit of a duplex is that the downstairs stays pretty cool.
Also: from CNN "With his approval rate sinking, President Bush tonight addresses the nation about his "clear strategy" for Iraq"... is it just me, or SHOULD THEY HAVE HAD A CLEAR FUCKING PLAN TO BEGIN WITH?!?!?!?!?
27 June 2005
Those stupid bracelets
Rudy recently posted about these here and here and while I agree, the problem goes much deeper than I first imagined. I was just at Walgreens (a pharmacy for those outside their area) and they now have racks of "inspiration" bracelets. They're not even raising money for a cause, they just have useless crap engraved on them like "serenity" or "courage". Give me a break! As far as I'm concerned, any piece of clothing or accessory that is supposed to have some life changing affect is bullshit. Wearing a giant rubberband with "courage" on it has the exact same effect as your "chick magnet" t-shirt.
I was willing to give people a break who bought them to help raise money for something - even though I think they look like giant rubberbands. But enough is enough.
I was willing to give people a break who bought them to help raise money for something - even though I think they look like giant rubberbands. But enough is enough.
10 Commandments
The Supreme Court ruled finally that the 10 Commandments cannot be posted in courthouses. Why we needed to waste our highest court's time with this nonsense is beyond me. Courthouses are for the practice of the secular laws of this country and only 3 of the 10 commandments are actual laws of this country. The rest are simply religious custom or good suggestions. From Wikipedia:
- "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt..." - This commandment is to believe in the existence of God.
- "You shall have no other gods besides Me...Do not make a sculpted image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..."
Actually, these two are AGAINST the law in this country - you cannot force or compell someone to worship against their will.
- "You shalt not swear falsely by the name of the Lord..." - This commandment is to never take the name of God in a vain oath. In Exodus, the text reads "in a vain oath" (לא תשא את שם ה' לשוא), while in Deuteronomy it reads "in a false oath" (לא תשא שם ה' לשקר).
Not a law. Saying "Jumpin Jesus on a pogo stick" is fully within my first-amendment rights of free speech.
- "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy" (the version in Deuteronomy mentions "Keep" rather than "Remember")
Not a law. Again, you can't force someone to keep the Sabbath.
- "Honor your father and your mother..." - This commandment is a development when compared to other laws of the Ancient East (for example, the Code of Hammurabi) that do not call for equal respect of the father and the mother.
Definitely a good idea in most cases, but not a law. There are plenty of mothers and fathers undeserving of their childrens' respect.
- "You shall not murder" - The Hebrew Bible makes a distinction between murdering and killing, and explicitly notes that murder is always a heinous sin, while killing is sometimes necessary, and in these cases just in the eyes of God. Thus, Jews take offense at translations which state "Thou shall not kill", which Jews hold to be immoral. The official doctrine of the Catholic Church and the beliefs of many Protestant Christians hold that this verse forbids abortion; in Judaism, abortion is prohibited based on other sources.
Hey - a law! Buried under 5 other commandments. Under certain circumstances this is a law in this country. It's convenient that we discern between murder and killing, especially in times of war. We're 5 & 1 now.
- "You shall not commit adultery"
Considered by most to be customarily a good idea, but it's not a law (except in some states)...
- "You shall not steal" (sometimes interpreted as kidnapping, since there are other injunctions against stealing property in the Bible).
Here you go - this one is a law.
- "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"
This one is sort of a law. It depends on who your neighbor is I guess. If you lie or slander someone who is not your neighbor, is that ok? This can be loosely interpreted as not lying, which is against the law in many cases. In the immortal words of the Count: Three, Three laws, ah ah ah.
- "You shall not covet your neighbor's house..." (in Exodus, the text reads "... neighbour's house, ... neighbour's wife, nor his manservant..." etc. while in Deuteronomy, "thy neighbour's wife, ... thy neighbour's house, his field" etc.)
Are you kidding me? American life is ALL about the coveting. We're the most greedy sons of bitches on the planet.
Do I have to?
Back to work today... I don't wanna. We have several rooms in "acceptable" order so far but none are completely done.
WTF is with the CNN quickpolls? I know it's not exactly (or even nearly) a scientific poll, but they always seem to leave out an option. This morning it was
Should Billy Graham retire from the pulpit?
Yes, for health reasons
No, he's an inspiration
Uh, they forgot 3) Yes, because he's a nutbag
In retrospect, I should have unpacked (aka: found) the sunscreen this weekend. We were out on the bike and because it's been so hot, I wore a tank top. We were only on for a few hours but I, as usual, have my years' first burn. I don't burn normally either, there's always something I forget that screws it from even turning into a decent tan. Like the fact that there are oddly shaped white spots around my neck from my necklaces. I still have tanlines from 4 years ago - they don't go away on me. So I'll have an outline of a goddess on my neck for the next 3 years. There are worse things I'm sure. My shoulders and my arms are still warm - that's how burned they are. Must get aloe gel with licocaine today.
So we have a motorcycle shell - it's like a tent sort of. In any case, we used to keep it in our old backyard, by the alley. But our new place doesn't have a very good spot for it and our new neighbor who loves her garden doesn't want to "look at it". So we agreed to put it in the alley and lock it up. Well it seems we'll have to find a better way to lock it up. We got back around 8pm last night to find it filled like a clown car with local teenagers. Not sure what they were doing (or how they all fit in there). They weren't smokin up which was my initial assumption. So we yell at them to keep the hell away from it and John scared them pretty good I think. They went into a yard a few doors down. They were apparently at a party - by the looks of it a graduation party. So one of their dad's comes out and John said they need to stay away from that. The guy seemed nice enough. Said he had seen they were gravitating that way and told them to stay away. In any case, I don't like it being in the alley now. It's just begging for trouble. So we'll have to discuss this with our new neighbor. That will be fun.
She seems nice enough, but the garden is "her" domain. Hopefully we'll all settle in ok, but we have to find a different place to put the bike. We discussed it with the Landlord while looking at the place and she said in the back of the yard was fine and that we'd just tell the neighbor that's where it's going. I'm beginning to think she would have told us that the faucets have a hot fudge setting if that's what it took for us to take the place.
Annie keeps waking me up in the middle of the night. We broke her of that habit a while ago, but it seems to have come back. So I have to lie awake and ignore her "grumbles" to go outside at 3am. She woke me up at 5am this morning, so that's why I'm up writing this. THere was no point going back to bed.
Off to work soon, and then to my next to last class. Summer School will be over Wednesday.
WTF is with the CNN quickpolls? I know it's not exactly (or even nearly) a scientific poll, but they always seem to leave out an option. This morning it was
Should Billy Graham retire from the pulpit?
Yes, for health reasons
No, he's an inspiration
Uh, they forgot 3) Yes, because he's a nutbag
In retrospect, I should have unpacked (aka: found) the sunscreen this weekend. We were out on the bike and because it's been so hot, I wore a tank top. We were only on for a few hours but I, as usual, have my years' first burn. I don't burn normally either, there's always something I forget that screws it from even turning into a decent tan. Like the fact that there are oddly shaped white spots around my neck from my necklaces. I still have tanlines from 4 years ago - they don't go away on me. So I'll have an outline of a goddess on my neck for the next 3 years. There are worse things I'm sure. My shoulders and my arms are still warm - that's how burned they are. Must get aloe gel with licocaine today.
So we have a motorcycle shell - it's like a tent sort of. In any case, we used to keep it in our old backyard, by the alley. But our new place doesn't have a very good spot for it and our new neighbor who loves her garden doesn't want to "look at it". So we agreed to put it in the alley and lock it up. Well it seems we'll have to find a better way to lock it up. We got back around 8pm last night to find it filled like a clown car with local teenagers. Not sure what they were doing (or how they all fit in there). They weren't smokin up which was my initial assumption. So we yell at them to keep the hell away from it and John scared them pretty good I think. They went into a yard a few doors down. They were apparently at a party - by the looks of it a graduation party. So one of their dad's comes out and John said they need to stay away from that. The guy seemed nice enough. Said he had seen they were gravitating that way and told them to stay away. In any case, I don't like it being in the alley now. It's just begging for trouble. So we'll have to discuss this with our new neighbor. That will be fun.
She seems nice enough, but the garden is "her" domain. Hopefully we'll all settle in ok, but we have to find a different place to put the bike. We discussed it with the Landlord while looking at the place and she said in the back of the yard was fine and that we'd just tell the neighbor that's where it's going. I'm beginning to think she would have told us that the faucets have a hot fudge setting if that's what it took for us to take the place.
Annie keeps waking me up in the middle of the night. We broke her of that habit a while ago, but it seems to have come back. So I have to lie awake and ignore her "grumbles" to go outside at 3am. She woke me up at 5am this morning, so that's why I'm up writing this. THere was no point going back to bed.
Off to work soon, and then to my next to last class. Summer School will be over Wednesday.
24 June 2005
Still Unpacking
Despite our new kitchen being significantly smaller than our old one, I seem to have found a way to get most everything to fit. We got the office set up yesterday and John got a new desk that fits in his corner quite nicely. Next is the living room - we know the setup we want, we just haven't touched it yet.
We had a scare with the TV this morning, the color was all screwed up. It fixed itself and hopefully it was a fluke and not something that got jarred loose.
We haven't even touched the clothes & dressers yet, gotta do that tomorrow. Unlike John, I actually have to get dressed and leave the house to go to work.
I promised pictures but I can't find the adapter for the Compact Flash card for the laptop, so for now, no pictures.
The critters have adapted much better than I had hoped. Annie feels right at home and we've taken her to Welles Park (2 blocks away) every day this week. It's huge and usually empty in the mornings so she can play ball for a little while. Scout (the cat that almost ate her way through her carrier) has settled down a bit now. She flips out after moving and the first night she made her way INSIDE our box spring in our bed. So I looked under the bed and there's a lump hanging from underneath the mattress - growling. Penny seems to be right at home. She's found several places to park her fat butt.
We're starting to find places for everything. The place is coming together slowly but surely. We'll be sure to have a soiree eventually.
For future reference for birthdays, christmas, whatever... please - we do not need any more "stuff"...
Tonight though, I'm taking a break and going out with Cillic & Heather (back in town for their 3rd anniversary - congrats kids). They should be approaching the city limits about now and probably around 11pm we'll end up at Neo. I need to get out and have some fun.
We had a scare with the TV this morning, the color was all screwed up. It fixed itself and hopefully it was a fluke and not something that got jarred loose.
We haven't even touched the clothes & dressers yet, gotta do that tomorrow. Unlike John, I actually have to get dressed and leave the house to go to work.
I promised pictures but I can't find the adapter for the Compact Flash card for the laptop, so for now, no pictures.
The critters have adapted much better than I had hoped. Annie feels right at home and we've taken her to Welles Park (2 blocks away) every day this week. It's huge and usually empty in the mornings so she can play ball for a little while. Scout (the cat that almost ate her way through her carrier) has settled down a bit now. She flips out after moving and the first night she made her way INSIDE our box spring in our bed. So I looked under the bed and there's a lump hanging from underneath the mattress - growling. Penny seems to be right at home. She's found several places to park her fat butt.
We're starting to find places for everything. The place is coming together slowly but surely. We'll be sure to have a soiree eventually.
For future reference for birthdays, christmas, whatever... please - we do not need any more "stuff"...
Tonight though, I'm taking a break and going out with Cillic & Heather (back in town for their 3rd anniversary - congrats kids). They should be approaching the city limits about now and probably around 11pm we'll end up at Neo. I need to get out and have some fun.
21 June 2005
Oh my achin... everything
Well the move itself went well. We have a few more little things at the old place that we will get this week, along with our two Lichtensteins. We didn't want the movers to move those since we had no place to keep them safe and out of the way - they're safer on the walls for now. They're each about 5ft x 3 ft.
The little "chowder" as our last moving estimator termed it will be taken in the next few days, and we'll throw out all the trash. We found cat and dog toy heaven (or hell?) under our sofa.
I'll post pictures of the mayhem later but for now here's a recap.
We spent all day Sunday moving shit around and clearing the way and packing up last minute crap. We had my dad's truck so we took over some little stuff. We got to bed about 10, I of course, couldn't sleep.
Monday morning we get up at 5am to get the last minute crap out of the way and clear out the office so we can put the critters in there.
Movers show up at 8am, right on time, and got everything out and into the new place by 10:55am - so they did in three hours what would have taken us 20 trips and probably an entire week. By far worth $500, which wasn't nearly what I thought it would cost (I thought it would take more than 3 hours). Golan's movers rocks. They were nice, courteous, quick, and very professional.
So after they're done, we go back and take one more load of stuff in our truck. Stuff we didn't want them to move either because it was laying loose or because we needed to know where it was. I felt SO bad leaving the puppy there. She looked so abandoned in a room with no furniture. We dropped that stuff off quickly and went back to get the critters.
So we load up the critters. We have soft-sided cat carriers - the ones that kinda look like a gym bag with plastic mesh in the sides. Well, Scout (demon-spawn-hell-kitty) started EATING through the mesh in the car. She's in the front seat, I'm in the back with the dog and Penny (our other cat) who is sitting peacefully in her carrier. John looks over and sees half of Scout's face pushing through the bag and then he sees teeth. So I try to push her back in and out comes her entire front leg! All the while she's doing that low cat growl. It was too funny.
We get them here and we got them acclimated, gave them water, set up the littermaid and whatnot.
We then went to take the truck back to my dad, stopping at Best Buy along the way because for some reason we can't remember where we packed the Coax cable! DOH. We get to Oak Park, have some pizza and dad drives us back to the Racine apt so john can get the motorcycle. So now we have to make our way through the labryinth of boxes and I have to finish my paper which is due in my class tomorrow night!
More later.
The little "chowder" as our last moving estimator termed it will be taken in the next few days, and we'll throw out all the trash. We found cat and dog toy heaven (or hell?) under our sofa.
I'll post pictures of the mayhem later but for now here's a recap.
We spent all day Sunday moving shit around and clearing the way and packing up last minute crap. We had my dad's truck so we took over some little stuff. We got to bed about 10, I of course, couldn't sleep.
Monday morning we get up at 5am to get the last minute crap out of the way and clear out the office so we can put the critters in there.
Movers show up at 8am, right on time, and got everything out and into the new place by 10:55am - so they did in three hours what would have taken us 20 trips and probably an entire week. By far worth $500, which wasn't nearly what I thought it would cost (I thought it would take more than 3 hours). Golan's movers rocks. They were nice, courteous, quick, and very professional.
So after they're done, we go back and take one more load of stuff in our truck. Stuff we didn't want them to move either because it was laying loose or because we needed to know where it was. I felt SO bad leaving the puppy there. She looked so abandoned in a room with no furniture. We dropped that stuff off quickly and went back to get the critters.
So we load up the critters. We have soft-sided cat carriers - the ones that kinda look like a gym bag with plastic mesh in the sides. Well, Scout (demon-spawn-hell-kitty) started EATING through the mesh in the car. She's in the front seat, I'm in the back with the dog and Penny (our other cat) who is sitting peacefully in her carrier. John looks over and sees half of Scout's face pushing through the bag and then he sees teeth. So I try to push her back in and out comes her entire front leg! All the while she's doing that low cat growl. It was too funny.
We get them here and we got them acclimated, gave them water, set up the littermaid and whatnot.
We then went to take the truck back to my dad, stopping at Best Buy along the way because for some reason we can't remember where we packed the Coax cable! DOH. We get to Oak Park, have some pizza and dad drives us back to the Racine apt so john can get the motorcycle. So now we have to make our way through the labryinth of boxes and I have to finish my paper which is due in my class tomorrow night!
More later.
17 June 2005
Over & Out
We're moving all the electronics tomorrow morning, so the cable modem will be going too. I won't have internet access on my machine until Monday...
so until we meet again.
so until we meet again.
The Purge
Anyone want Atari 2600 games? I never had the heart to throw away the games.
Demons to Diamonds
Othello
Asteroids
Streetracer
Air Sea Battle
Combat (x2)
Dodge em
Pac Man (x2)
Frogger
ET
Pole Position II (7800)
Warlords
Solaris
Bowling
Moon Patrol
Dark Cavern
Space Invaders
Donkey Kong
Frogs & Flies
Missle Command
Breakout
OOh, I also found a few more games and my 7800 console. THere's no guarantee that the console works as I haven't hooked it up in more than 5 years.
I've come to the realization that I will most likely never play them again, as most new TVs won't even take the old Atari hookups anymore.
If you want them they're yours. If you're out of state, I will ask you to pay shipping... They're going in the alley on June 23...
Demons to Diamonds
Othello
Asteroids
Streetracer
Air Sea Battle
Combat (x2)
Dodge em
Pac Man (x2)
Frogger
ET
Pole Position II (7800)
Warlords
Solaris
Bowling
Moon Patrol
Dark Cavern
Space Invaders
Donkey Kong
Frogs & Flies
Missle Command
Breakout
OOh, I also found a few more games and my 7800 console. THere's no guarantee that the console works as I haven't hooked it up in more than 5 years.
I've come to the realization that I will most likely never play them again, as most new TVs won't even take the old Atari hookups anymore.
If you want them they're yours. If you're out of state, I will ask you to pay shipping... They're going in the alley on June 23...
Why I can't support PETA
This is not the only time I've heard of PETA members acting hypocritically and this is why I cannot support their organization. I support organizations that help animals directly, like my local shelters, and I am against animal testing for things like cosmetics. However, PETA takes everything to the extreme. Medical testing, no matter how horrible I personally think it is, is necessary. I hate that it is necessary, but it is. I wish the animals were treated in a more humane and dignified way, but that would make it difficult for the companies to treat them as objects upon which to test their wares. What does PETA do? Supports organizations that destroy laboratories rather than lobby for proper treatment. Even though I saw once that the VP of PETA uses insulin to control her diabetes - which is TESTED ON ANIMALS! Hypocrite.
For all you PETA supporters out there, PETA is also against the keeping of companion animals. That's right - they feel all animals should be free and wild - even your well cared for Rover or Fluffy. They protest and boycott public shelters and terrorize the people who work at them because the shelters euthanize animals. But they themselves have no choice but to euthanize animals in their own shelters! How about raising money for spaying and neutering? What about running free clinics for people to take proper care of their pets? What about trying to change policy to require spaying and neutering of all dogs & cats? Well, they can't get behind that because they're against having companion animals at all.
This is just icing on the cake. Fuck PETA.
PETA employees charged with animal cruelty
AHOSKIE, North Carolina (AP) -- Two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have been charged with animal cruelty after dumping dead dogs and cats in a shopping center garbage bin, police said.
Investigators staked out the bin after discovering that dead animals had been dumped there every Wednesday for the past four weeks, Ahoskie police said in a prepared statement Thursday.
PETA has scheduled a news conference for Friday in Norfolk, Virginia, where the group is based.
Police found 18 dead animals in the bin and 13 more in a van registered to PETA. The animals were from animal shelters in Northampton and Bertie counties, police said.
The two were picking up animals to be brought back to PETA headquarters for euthanization, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said Thursday. Neither police nor PETA offered any theory on why the animals might have been dumped.
Police charged Andrew Benjamin Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk, Virginia, each with 31 felony counts of animal cruelty and eight misdemeanor counts of illegal disposal of dead animals. They were released on bond and an initial court date was set for Friday.
Hinkle has been suspended, but Cook continues to work PETA, Newkirk said.Newkirk said she doubted Hinkle had ever been cruel to an animal and said if the animals were placed in the bin, "We will be appalled."
For all you PETA supporters out there, PETA is also against the keeping of companion animals. That's right - they feel all animals should be free and wild - even your well cared for Rover or Fluffy. They protest and boycott public shelters and terrorize the people who work at them because the shelters euthanize animals. But they themselves have no choice but to euthanize animals in their own shelters! How about raising money for spaying and neutering? What about running free clinics for people to take proper care of their pets? What about trying to change policy to require spaying and neutering of all dogs & cats? Well, they can't get behind that because they're against having companion animals at all.
This is just icing on the cake. Fuck PETA.
PETA employees charged with animal cruelty
AHOSKIE, North Carolina (AP) -- Two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have been charged with animal cruelty after dumping dead dogs and cats in a shopping center garbage bin, police said.
Investigators staked out the bin after discovering that dead animals had been dumped there every Wednesday for the past four weeks, Ahoskie police said in a prepared statement Thursday.
PETA has scheduled a news conference for Friday in Norfolk, Virginia, where the group is based.
Police found 18 dead animals in the bin and 13 more in a van registered to PETA. The animals were from animal shelters in Northampton and Bertie counties, police said.
The two were picking up animals to be brought back to PETA headquarters for euthanization, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said Thursday. Neither police nor PETA offered any theory on why the animals might have been dumped.
Police charged Andrew Benjamin Cook, 24, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, of Norfolk, Virginia, each with 31 felony counts of animal cruelty and eight misdemeanor counts of illegal disposal of dead animals. They were released on bond and an initial court date was set for Friday.
Hinkle has been suspended, but Cook continues to work PETA, Newkirk said.Newkirk said she doubted Hinkle had ever been cruel to an animal and said if the animals were placed in the bin, "We will be appalled."
16 June 2005
Cilly-Me
So Rasa and I went for a cheeseburger yesterday (yum) at lunch and were talking about blogs. I mentioned something about CilliC and it never dawned on me until she pointed it out that I've been pronouncing it wrong. For whatever reason I never saw it as "silly-C" I saw it as "sillick" - which explains why ever since Carl put up his blog I've been asking myself "what the fuck does "sillick" mean?"
It also didn't help that the font you chose, dear CilliC, for your blog header doesn't allow us to distinguish capital from lower-case letters. So I saw it as one word... oh well.
It makes so much more sense now. I felt like such a jackass... the lightbulb practically exploded over my head.
So here's a big DUH! for me.
It also didn't help that the font you chose, dear CilliC, for your blog header doesn't allow us to distinguish capital from lower-case letters. So I saw it as one word... oh well.
It makes so much more sense now. I felt like such a jackass... the lightbulb practically exploded over my head.
So here's a big DUH! for me.
15 June 2005
Reason #3,648,321 why the GOP SUCKS
From the Center for American Progress:
CONGRESS -- DOWNING STREET HEARING BANNED FROM HILL: Tomorrow, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) will be holding major hearings on the Downing Street Minutes. Unfortunately, they won't take place on Capitol Hill. House Judiciary Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) "recently announced a new policy to deny any request" from any minority commitee member "for the use of a committee hearing room." Sensenbrenner's deputy chief of staff let minority members know with the following e-mail: "I'm sitting here watching your 'forum' on C-SPAN. Just to let you know, it was your last. Don't bother asking [for a room] again."
They control the House, Senate, White House, Judiciary and all the wire taps on my commie-pinko phone lines and now they want the meeting rooms too?
what the FUCK.
CONGRESS -- DOWNING STREET HEARING BANNED FROM HILL: Tomorrow, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) will be holding major hearings on the Downing Street Minutes. Unfortunately, they won't take place on Capitol Hill. House Judiciary Chairman Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) "recently announced a new policy to deny any request" from any minority commitee member "for the use of a committee hearing room." Sensenbrenner's deputy chief of staff let minority members know with the following e-mail: "I'm sitting here watching your 'forum' on C-SPAN. Just to let you know, it was your last. Don't bother asking [for a room] again."
They control the House, Senate, White House, Judiciary and all the wire taps on my commie-pinko phone lines and now they want the meeting rooms too?
what the FUCK.
Typoglycemia
I got this in an email:
Believe it or not you can read it!
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia :)-
Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt
Believe it or not you can read it!
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch taem at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Such a cdonition is arppoiately cllaed Typoglycemia :)-
Amzanig huh? Yaeh and yuo awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt
Nostalgia
For all you Chicagoans and ex-patriates (I include you suburban folk in that - you urban deserters you!) :-)
I was on the el this morning and the announcer actually called the train the "Ravenswood". I actually did a [channeling Jon Stewart] Whaaaaaaa? I've gotten used to the new color-coded (ala Boston) names I suppose, though I only started using them after I realized that giving someone directions using the old names is too confusing. I still REFUSE to call the Rosemont Horizon the Allstate Arena and I will NEVER call Comiskey Park US Cellular field. Not happenin, sorry.
Anyway, I remember the really confusing names, like the Congress(A)-Douglas(B)-O'Hare (now the Blue Line). I would go downtown with friends from Oak Park and we had our memory hooks... "A" for Austin, "B" for Bad. My sister and her friend once got on the "B" train coming back from downtown and ended up in the middle of Cicero. Whoops.
You used to have to put in some effort to ensure you got to where you were goin... none of this every train makes every stop nonsense. Remember the Howard-Dan Ryan A & B trains - make sure you get the right one cuz they don't all make all the stops! There was always the element of surprise, not this actually ending up at your actual destination crap!
Now the names are easy, Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Orange & Purple and they're labeled by their end point. So now the Lake Street El is the Green Line to Harlem/Lake. I suppose it's easier on the tourists, but no matter how easy you make it, you still have people who can't/don't read the signs.
I was on the el this morning and the announcer actually called the train the "Ravenswood". I actually did a [channeling Jon Stewart] Whaaaaaaa? I've gotten used to the new color-coded (ala Boston) names I suppose, though I only started using them after I realized that giving someone directions using the old names is too confusing. I still REFUSE to call the Rosemont Horizon the Allstate Arena and I will NEVER call Comiskey Park US Cellular field. Not happenin, sorry.
Anyway, I remember the really confusing names, like the Congress(A)-Douglas(B)-O'Hare (now the Blue Line). I would go downtown with friends from Oak Park and we had our memory hooks... "A" for Austin, "B" for Bad. My sister and her friend once got on the "B" train coming back from downtown and ended up in the middle of Cicero. Whoops.
You used to have to put in some effort to ensure you got to where you were goin... none of this every train makes every stop nonsense. Remember the Howard-Dan Ryan A & B trains - make sure you get the right one cuz they don't all make all the stops! There was always the element of surprise, not this actually ending up at your actual destination crap!
Now the names are easy, Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Orange & Purple and they're labeled by their end point. So now the Lake Street El is the Green Line to Harlem/Lake. I suppose it's easier on the tourists, but no matter how easy you make it, you still have people who can't/don't read the signs.
14 June 2005
Why do we have to look at British news to see stories like this?
"Up to 1,000 teenage boys have been separated from their parents and thrown out of their communities by a polygamous sect to make more young women available for older men, Utah officials claim."
Ok, first of all.. ew. Secondly, you'd think a sect that requires men to have 3 wives to get to heaven would have a contingency plan if the gender balance got out of whack... or at the very least take it as a sign from God that they need to review their policies and sacrifice some of the dirty old men on the altar to Jesus.
Shit like this gives me the willies.
Ok, first of all.. ew. Secondly, you'd think a sect that requires men to have 3 wives to get to heaven would have a contingency plan if the gender balance got out of whack... or at the very least take it as a sign from God that they need to review their policies and sacrifice some of the dirty old men on the altar to Jesus.
Shit like this gives me the willies.
13 June 2005
Look out, she's got a list...
I don't normally do lists becuase I undoubtedly forget something. Also, it's next to impossible for me to pick a favorite anything because my favorites largely depend on my mood. For instance, in general, my favorite music is still Pink Floyd - but it doesn't fit all occasions and sometimes something a little more upbeat is at the top of the list. But then I started thinking, maybe I don't do lists because I'm lazy and I don't want to think in depth about something like that for too long.
In any case, I was vegging out yesterday after a weekend of moving stuff and packing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off was on one of the movie channels. Because of this and all the filming that has been going on downtown this year, I started thinking about great movies in Chicago and there are many. And that's about how specific I need to be to start picking favorites of anything. I was in such a good mood after that, I popped in the Blues Brothers. Now, I started out with ten, but I realized I was scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with the standard "List" number. I'm not going to include movies I think are crappy just to even out the list... So here it is, the Best Chicago movies (of any genre) in order:
Honorable Mention-The Matrix:What? What's that doing on this list? I know it technically wasn't filmed in Chicago but the Wachowski brothers are from Chicago and used a bunch of street names. Apparently the Matrix was a composite of several different cities. So even though there is no el station at State and Balbo, I had to give it an honorable mention.
6) High Fidelity: Though most of the local record stores have been killed by MP3s and online shopping, Wicker Park is one neighborhood where you can still find a few. I love John Cusack, there's just something about him - he's a great actor I think precisely because he always comes off as an "everyman" kind of guy. I think I should watch this one again - trying to write this is difficult when you can't remember details... I remember I really liked it though. oh well.
5) Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Another guilty pleasures movie. Who can forget Ed Rooney played by Jeffrey (child porn pervert) Jones and our first introduction to Ben Stein. Even forgiving the fact that there's no way they'd get from the Board of Trade to the Art Institute to Wrigley Field and then back to the Sears Tower all in one afternoon, it's just a fun romp through the city.
4) Primal Fear: My first introduction to Edward Norton and man was he good. I don't know if he got any award nominations for that part but he should have. Someone kills (no slaughters) the Archbishop and they catch this kid and it appears he's just a sweet kid whose been abused and has developed multiple personalities. Or is he? I've never been a big Richard Gere fan but he does play one great slimy, limelight seeking lawyer (a part he reprises in Chicago). Only one thing bugs me in this movie - John Barleycorn's doesn't serve Budweiser - at least they didn't the last time I was in there.
3) The Fugitive: This movie had everything going for it before they even started filming. The cast was fantastic and just played off eachother so well. Tommy Lee Jones was so great that they even did a spinoff movie, US Marshalls, which wasn't nearly as good. Following Richard Kimball around the city trying to solve his wife's murder, clear his name, and avoid the US Marshalls hunting him down. It's non-stop action and Tommy Lee Jones has got some great dialogue.
2) Untouchables: Classic Chicago gangster movie. Robert DeNiro was the perfect Al Capone and even though I'm not a huge Kevin Costner fan but he was pretty good. It's pretty hard to suck ala Waterworld when you've got Andy Garcia, Robert DeNiro and Sean Connery backing you up. Those three guys carried that movie. I mean, people rip on Hayden Christensen but Kevin Costner really DOES only have three expressions. I mean, how bad do you have to be to play a corpse and have your part cut (Big Chill)? And where did they find that creepy looking guy to play the hit man? (Where's Nitty... he's in the car). And I can't forget that the hotel scenes were filmed at Roosevelt. The Auditorium building used to be a hotel so the Michigan Ave lobby still looks like a hotel lobby. All they had to do was move the bust of Franklin Roosvelt and add some props. Apparently people remember addresses from this movie too. We were in Hawaii and the woman at the rental car counter saw our address (on Racine) and remembered 1634 Racine as where Sean Connery lived. Another great movie with fantastic dialogue (DeNiro's baseball speech right before he cracks a guy's skull open). Expect nothing but the best from Brian DePalma.
1) The Blues Brothers: Not only is this a classic (John Landis) comedy, it's a fantastic musical with a great sountrack you can't help but tap your feet to. It contains some of the greatest comedy dialogue written (we're on a mission from God; Lots'a space in this mall) and a whole host of cameos (Cab Calloway, James Brown, Aretha, Ray, John Candy, John Lee Hooker, Steve Lawrence, Twiggy...) supporting one of only two successful (i.e. good) movies to come out of an SNL bit. Many of the landmarks are now gone (The glowing Magikist signs along the highway, the Curl Up & Dye, Maxwell Street, the creepy green lights on Lower Wacker) but the sense of nostalgia I get watching this movie is still strong. I think I miss the Magikist signs the most - I remember being mesmerized by it as a kid.
In any case, I was vegging out yesterday after a weekend of moving stuff and packing and Ferris Bueller's Day Off was on one of the movie channels. Because of this and all the filming that has been going on downtown this year, I started thinking about great movies in Chicago and there are many. And that's about how specific I need to be to start picking favorites of anything. I was in such a good mood after that, I popped in the Blues Brothers. Now, I started out with ten, but I realized I was scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with the standard "List" number. I'm not going to include movies I think are crappy just to even out the list... So here it is, the Best Chicago movies (of any genre) in order:
Honorable Mention-The Matrix:What? What's that doing on this list? I know it technically wasn't filmed in Chicago but the Wachowski brothers are from Chicago and used a bunch of street names. Apparently the Matrix was a composite of several different cities. So even though there is no el station at State and Balbo, I had to give it an honorable mention.
6) High Fidelity: Though most of the local record stores have been killed by MP3s and online shopping, Wicker Park is one neighborhood where you can still find a few. I love John Cusack, there's just something about him - he's a great actor I think precisely because he always comes off as an "everyman" kind of guy. I think I should watch this one again - trying to write this is difficult when you can't remember details... I remember I really liked it though. oh well.
5) Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Another guilty pleasures movie. Who can forget Ed Rooney played by Jeffrey (child porn pervert) Jones and our first introduction to Ben Stein. Even forgiving the fact that there's no way they'd get from the Board of Trade to the Art Institute to Wrigley Field and then back to the Sears Tower all in one afternoon, it's just a fun romp through the city.
4) Primal Fear: My first introduction to Edward Norton and man was he good. I don't know if he got any award nominations for that part but he should have. Someone kills (no slaughters) the Archbishop and they catch this kid and it appears he's just a sweet kid whose been abused and has developed multiple personalities. Or is he? I've never been a big Richard Gere fan but he does play one great slimy, limelight seeking lawyer (a part he reprises in Chicago). Only one thing bugs me in this movie - John Barleycorn's doesn't serve Budweiser - at least they didn't the last time I was in there.
3) The Fugitive: This movie had everything going for it before they even started filming. The cast was fantastic and just played off eachother so well. Tommy Lee Jones was so great that they even did a spinoff movie, US Marshalls, which wasn't nearly as good. Following Richard Kimball around the city trying to solve his wife's murder, clear his name, and avoid the US Marshalls hunting him down. It's non-stop action and Tommy Lee Jones has got some great dialogue.
2) Untouchables: Classic Chicago gangster movie. Robert DeNiro was the perfect Al Capone and even though I'm not a huge Kevin Costner fan but he was pretty good. It's pretty hard to suck ala Waterworld when you've got Andy Garcia, Robert DeNiro and Sean Connery backing you up. Those three guys carried that movie. I mean, people rip on Hayden Christensen but Kevin Costner really DOES only have three expressions. I mean, how bad do you have to be to play a corpse and have your part cut (Big Chill)? And where did they find that creepy looking guy to play the hit man? (Where's Nitty... he's in the car). And I can't forget that the hotel scenes were filmed at Roosevelt. The Auditorium building used to be a hotel so the Michigan Ave lobby still looks like a hotel lobby. All they had to do was move the bust of Franklin Roosvelt and add some props. Apparently people remember addresses from this movie too. We were in Hawaii and the woman at the rental car counter saw our address (on Racine) and remembered 1634 Racine as where Sean Connery lived. Another great movie with fantastic dialogue (DeNiro's baseball speech right before he cracks a guy's skull open). Expect nothing but the best from Brian DePalma.
1) The Blues Brothers: Not only is this a classic (John Landis) comedy, it's a fantastic musical with a great sountrack you can't help but tap your feet to. It contains some of the greatest comedy dialogue written (we're on a mission from God; Lots'a space in this mall) and a whole host of cameos (Cab Calloway, James Brown, Aretha, Ray, John Candy, John Lee Hooker, Steve Lawrence, Twiggy...) supporting one of only two successful (i.e. good) movies to come out of an SNL bit. Many of the landmarks are now gone (The glowing Magikist signs along the highway, the Curl Up & Dye, Maxwell Street, the creepy green lights on Lower Wacker) but the sense of nostalgia I get watching this movie is still strong. I think I miss the Magikist signs the most - I remember being mesmerized by it as a kid.
12 June 2005
Holy Christ
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Four members of seminal British rock band Pink Floyd will play together for the first time in 24 years at London's Live 8 charity concert for Africa on July 2, publicists for the event said on Sunday.
Guitarist David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason and keyboard player Richard Wright will be on stage with bassist Roger Waters for their first public performance since they played at London's Earls Court in 1981.
Man, if they get back together I will be SO there. I saw Pink Floyd in 1994 and Roger Waters in 2000(?) but seeing them back together would be so fantastic. Just once. You never know... pigs have been known to fly...
Guitarist David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason and keyboard player Richard Wright will be on stage with bassist Roger Waters for their first public performance since they played at London's Earls Court in 1981.
Man, if they get back together I will be SO there. I saw Pink Floyd in 1994 and Roger Waters in 2000(?) but seeing them back together would be so fantastic. Just once. You never know... pigs have been known to fly...
10 June 2005
Stressing out
Why is it, every time I move I say "this time won't be like the last time" but then it is? The movers come a week from Monday and as I look around me I see how much we still have left to do. It's ridiculous. We were going to move a few things last weekend, but the place wasn't really ready so that fell through (and pissed me off royally). John was just there today getting the cable modem installed and it still wasn't completely done - they're still repainting. But we can't waste any more time, so they'll simply have to paint around whatever shit we bring this weekend. If the place is still not finished by the middle of this week, I'm demanding that we get a half month's rent prorated because we were planning on being able to do all the prep work (papering shelves, unpacking some crap, etc) before the movers came.
Tomorrow we're going to move some things - boxes mostly. Even so, there is still so much SHIT that we have. Half of me just wants to throw it all out and be done with it. It's all stuff that you really can't pack too early since you need it - ya know, like clothes. I've packed most of our winter clothes and stuff we won't need for the next couple weeks, but there's still a ton left over. All of our books and knicknacks are packed and some of the stuff from the kitchen is packed.
On top of that, I'm worrying about what we're going to do with the critters while the movers are moving things out. The cats are easy, throw them in the bathroom with a litterpan and some food & water and a pillow and they'll be find for a few hours. But the dog? I don't know what we're going to do with her. We thought about sending her to daycare that day (yes, we send our dog to daycare on occasion) but we'd have to drop her off ourselves in the morning since the pickups don't occur until after the movers would arrive. We thought about putting her in the now vacant downstairs unit, but I seem to have lost the key that I had to it. I may call our landlords and ask them for a key for that day. I've already called the vet and asked about sedatives - maybe we can just zonk her out. If we drug her and put her downstairs with a pillow, a couple of toys and a chewie, she should be ok.
I look around and how much there is to do and my head just starts spinning and I start to feel nauseous. It goes something like this:
... we need more boxes... but we don't have ROOM for any more boxes... we need to clear out the drawers so we can move the furniture... but we need boxes for that... but we don't have ROOM for any more boxes... gotta take the kitchen table apart... what do we do with the shit that's on it?... gotta write a paper for class and study for the midterm... the dog is gonna freak, we have to find somplace for her that day... we're NEVER gonna get this done in a week... if you don't sleep, you'll get sick and won't be able to do anything... i can't sleep because of all the shit we gotta do...
See, I can't shut off my brain. Once I start in on something like this, the only way for me to sleep is through pure exaustion or chemical help (Simply Sleep usually does the trick). Tonight though, it's too late for that. If I take something now, I'll never get up at the time we need to be up tomorrow morning.
At the very least, we do have one thing going for us. Our current landlords are going to rehab this place after we're moved out, which means that there is no one waiting to move in. They've said we can take as much time as we need moving things, so at least we don't have to be out on a particular day, or else.
Tomorrow we're going to move some things - boxes mostly. Even so, there is still so much SHIT that we have. Half of me just wants to throw it all out and be done with it. It's all stuff that you really can't pack too early since you need it - ya know, like clothes. I've packed most of our winter clothes and stuff we won't need for the next couple weeks, but there's still a ton left over. All of our books and knicknacks are packed and some of the stuff from the kitchen is packed.
On top of that, I'm worrying about what we're going to do with the critters while the movers are moving things out. The cats are easy, throw them in the bathroom with a litterpan and some food & water and a pillow and they'll be find for a few hours. But the dog? I don't know what we're going to do with her. We thought about sending her to daycare that day (yes, we send our dog to daycare on occasion) but we'd have to drop her off ourselves in the morning since the pickups don't occur until after the movers would arrive. We thought about putting her in the now vacant downstairs unit, but I seem to have lost the key that I had to it. I may call our landlords and ask them for a key for that day. I've already called the vet and asked about sedatives - maybe we can just zonk her out. If we drug her and put her downstairs with a pillow, a couple of toys and a chewie, she should be ok.
I look around and how much there is to do and my head just starts spinning and I start to feel nauseous. It goes something like this:
... we need more boxes... but we don't have ROOM for any more boxes... we need to clear out the drawers so we can move the furniture... but we need boxes for that... but we don't have ROOM for any more boxes... gotta take the kitchen table apart... what do we do with the shit that's on it?... gotta write a paper for class and study for the midterm... the dog is gonna freak, we have to find somplace for her that day... we're NEVER gonna get this done in a week... if you don't sleep, you'll get sick and won't be able to do anything... i can't sleep because of all the shit we gotta do...
See, I can't shut off my brain. Once I start in on something like this, the only way for me to sleep is through pure exaustion or chemical help (Simply Sleep usually does the trick). Tonight though, it's too late for that. If I take something now, I'll never get up at the time we need to be up tomorrow morning.
At the very least, we do have one thing going for us. Our current landlords are going to rehab this place after we're moved out, which means that there is no one waiting to move in. They've said we can take as much time as we need moving things, so at least we don't have to be out on a particular day, or else.
09 June 2005
Profiling
My last post, and some of the comments made (a friend being detained over an artichoke - that had me laughing) got me to thinking about profiling. This is where I diverge somewhat from my fellow commie-treehugging-america-hating liberals a bit. While I hate the idea of racial profiling and know that it does cause problems for many minorities (esp black men) there is such a thing as intelligent profiling. You know, how the FBI profiler will look and a crime and develop a picture/characterization of the type of person most likely to commit it? If they decide that it's likely a white male between 24-35 who owns a german shepard and a van, that doesn't mean that every white male between the ages of 24-35 with a german shepard and a van should be pulled over and interrogated and locked up. What it means is if you see a white male between 24-35 with a german shepard and a van acting in a strange or suspect manner - you pay attention.
Well I'm sorry to say that in recent history, the type of person most likely to hijack an airplane is an Arab male. It's a tactic that was developed by Arab groups in the 1970s. This doesn't mean that every Arab male should be singled out for a "selective" security check, but it means that if something seems off about a particlar person, pay attention - without worrying about being politcally correct. Certain circumstances are suspect as well - like John flying carry-on on a same day ticket - and he's a big dude. But I'm sorry, if you have two people in that situation and one is John and the other is an Arab man with a fishy ID/passport - pay attention to the one most likely. I know this sounds harsh, and I don't like it either. But it's a reality of the world and we can't afford to slip up again. If someone's ID or paperwork looks suspect, don't worry about offending them - check it out.
Now, I'm not advocating the use of humiliating tactics to do this and even if someone is fishy, they are still innocent until proven otherwise and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This does not mean, however, that we can't ask a few questions and double check some paperwork.
But do not waste our time and money interrogating random produce lovers or elderly knitters.
Note: I refuse to apply this model to other types of terror tactics on American soil because the bombing of abortion clinics and Oklahoma show that the typical terror attack on American soil is caused by American (usually white men) extremist groups, not foreigners. Now, that may change, and if it does, then our profile should be altered.
Oh, and as a side note - does anyone else think that Howard Dean's comments about the GOP were really stupid?? I mean, they already think that us liberals think they're all bible-thumpin yokels - he isn't helping... I agree that the GOP leadership pulls no punches in it's characterizations of democrats, but I don't think that we should stoop to their level. Some people say that's what you gotta do to win - but if we become like them, then even if we win, we lose. **sigh**
Well I'm sorry to say that in recent history, the type of person most likely to hijack an airplane is an Arab male. It's a tactic that was developed by Arab groups in the 1970s. This doesn't mean that every Arab male should be singled out for a "selective" security check, but it means that if something seems off about a particlar person, pay attention - without worrying about being politcally correct. Certain circumstances are suspect as well - like John flying carry-on on a same day ticket - and he's a big dude. But I'm sorry, if you have two people in that situation and one is John and the other is an Arab man with a fishy ID/passport - pay attention to the one most likely. I know this sounds harsh, and I don't like it either. But it's a reality of the world and we can't afford to slip up again. If someone's ID or paperwork looks suspect, don't worry about offending them - check it out.
Now, I'm not advocating the use of humiliating tactics to do this and even if someone is fishy, they are still innocent until proven otherwise and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. This does not mean, however, that we can't ask a few questions and double check some paperwork.
But do not waste our time and money interrogating random produce lovers or elderly knitters.
Note: I refuse to apply this model to other types of terror tactics on American soil because the bombing of abortion clinics and Oklahoma show that the typical terror attack on American soil is caused by American (usually white men) extremist groups, not foreigners. Now, that may change, and if it does, then our profile should be altered.
Oh, and as a side note - does anyone else think that Howard Dean's comments about the GOP were really stupid?? I mean, they already think that us liberals think they're all bible-thumpin yokels - he isn't helping... I agree that the GOP leadership pulls no punches in it's characterizations of democrats, but I don't think that we should stoop to their level. Some people say that's what you gotta do to win - but if we become like them, then even if we win, we lose. **sigh**
08 June 2005
Border Security
Ok. I just read the most bizzare story:
"A man carrying a home-made sword and what looked like a blood-stained chainsaw was allowed into the US from Canada, the Associated Press reports.
The news agency says Gregory Despres' weapons were confiscated, before US custom officials in Calais, Maine, let him cross the border on 25 April. The next day he became a murder suspect after bodies of his two neighbours were found in his hometown in Canada. "
Ok. I'm sorry, but if you see a man that looks this, carrying a bloody chainsaw and a sword and some brass knuckles - in an airport, trying to get into the United States, you might want to ask him a few questions...
"Mr Anthony said Mr Despres could not be detained because he was a naturalised US citizen and was not wanted on any criminal charges on the day in question. ... Being bizarre is not a reason to keep somebody out of this country or lock them up... We are governed by laws and regulations, and he did not violate any regulations". "
So if you make a joke about a bomb, they'll give you the third degree to make sure you're not a terrorist. John once came home early from a California trip for work and had to get a one-way ticket back. He was travelling carry-on only, one-way ticket bought that day - they just about gave him everything but the anal probe - and he was flying domestic.
But bring a sword and a bloody chainsaw on your voyage and you're good to go...
what the fuck?
"A man carrying a home-made sword and what looked like a blood-stained chainsaw was allowed into the US from Canada, the Associated Press reports.
The news agency says Gregory Despres' weapons were confiscated, before US custom officials in Calais, Maine, let him cross the border on 25 April. The next day he became a murder suspect after bodies of his two neighbours were found in his hometown in Canada. "
Ok. I'm sorry, but if you see a man that looks this, carrying a bloody chainsaw and a sword and some brass knuckles - in an airport, trying to get into the United States, you might want to ask him a few questions...
"Mr Anthony said Mr Despres could not be detained because he was a naturalised US citizen and was not wanted on any criminal charges on the day in question. ... Being bizarre is not a reason to keep somebody out of this country or lock them up... We are governed by laws and regulations, and he did not violate any regulations". "
So if you make a joke about a bomb, they'll give you the third degree to make sure you're not a terrorist. John once came home early from a California trip for work and had to get a one-way ticket back. He was travelling carry-on only, one-way ticket bought that day - they just about gave him everything but the anal probe - and he was flying domestic.
But bring a sword and a bloody chainsaw on your voyage and you're good to go...
what the fuck?
Language Barriers
So my professor for my summer class is from the Middle East. I'm not sure what country, but he's of Arabic descent. So far I like him even though it's taken a little while to get used to his style. So anyway, anyone who is not a native speaker of a language will often have trouble with specific phrases and whatnot, especially colloquialisms. I don't have a problem with that - usually you can figure out what they mean if you think about it.
Anyway, on Monday he came in and told one of the women in the class "you look better than usual today". Now, I'm positive he meant to pay her a compliment that she looked nice, but that's not what came out. She was taken aback - maybe she didn't realize that he didn't mean to offend, or maybe she was just caught off guard. She fired back "do I normally look bad?" to which he said "No, not at all" totally oblivious to what he had actually said.
I tried SO hard not to laugh.
I think many Americans go through their daily lives never encountering someone with a foreign accent and are thus, unforgiving about these little syntactical errors.
Anyway, on Monday he came in and told one of the women in the class "you look better than usual today". Now, I'm positive he meant to pay her a compliment that she looked nice, but that's not what came out. She was taken aback - maybe she didn't realize that he didn't mean to offend, or maybe she was just caught off guard. She fired back "do I normally look bad?" to which he said "No, not at all" totally oblivious to what he had actually said.
I tried SO hard not to laugh.
I think many Americans go through their daily lives never encountering someone with a foreign accent and are thus, unforgiving about these little syntactical errors.
07 June 2005
Bitch Du Jour
1) Humidity: It's very humid today. I don't mind heat so much, but I feel filthy in humidity. My skin feels sticky, my hair is frizzy. It's no fun. We actually turned on the A/C last night for the first time this year. Man am I gonna miss central air. That's one of the things we're giving up for more space and cheaper rent in our new place. We have a window unit to take care of the first floor and the basement stays really cool. Our bedroom will be in the basement.
2) Medical Marijuana: So the Supreme Court said federal law trumps state law in cases of medical marijuana. Technically it's true that federal law will always trump state law, but use some common fucking sense people. These people aren't smokin up to get high. I met a woman involved with IDEAL Reform a few months ago. She has MS and has been in a wheelchair for many years. Now, she makes herself marijuana brownies and eats one brownie per day and she has enough balance & control to walk for herself! This isn't about getting high, it's about a better quality of life for suffering people. The feds should never have classified Marijuana in the same category as cocaine & heroin. That category specifically states that there is no useful purpose for the drug. It's being proven over and over that marijuana does have valuable uses and can help people with certain conditions. This shifts the focus of SSDP from statewide initiatives to federal. Call your representatives and ask congress to loosen restrictions on medical marijuana at the federal level.
3) Bad Covers: There are good covers and bad covers. I hate bad covers - like that awful, hideous version of Pink Floyd's "Money" at the end of The Italian Job. I can't watch the end of that movie because that song makes my brain hurt. Now, there are good covers that are a close representation of the original, and then there are covers that redo the song in a completely different way. This second category is where Richard Cheese is king. I love Richard Cheese. His act is that of the total misogynist loung singer, hittin on the ladies and wearing a tiger-striped velvet smoking jacket. He has an excellent voice and his band (Lounge Against the Machine) is very talented. The next time we're in Vegas, we are going to have to see him live. He does lounge (he calls them "swankified") versions of popular songs. His new album Aperitif for Destruction includes:
2) Medical Marijuana: So the Supreme Court said federal law trumps state law in cases of medical marijuana. Technically it's true that federal law will always trump state law, but use some common fucking sense people. These people aren't smokin up to get high. I met a woman involved with IDEAL Reform a few months ago. She has MS and has been in a wheelchair for many years. Now, she makes herself marijuana brownies and eats one brownie per day and she has enough balance & control to walk for herself! This isn't about getting high, it's about a better quality of life for suffering people. The feds should never have classified Marijuana in the same category as cocaine & heroin. That category specifically states that there is no useful purpose for the drug. It's being proven over and over that marijuana does have valuable uses and can help people with certain conditions. This shifts the focus of SSDP from statewide initiatives to federal. Call your representatives and ask congress to loosen restrictions on medical marijuana at the federal level.
3) Bad Covers: There are good covers and bad covers. I hate bad covers - like that awful, hideous version of Pink Floyd's "Money" at the end of The Italian Job. I can't watch the end of that movie because that song makes my brain hurt. Now, there are good covers that are a close representation of the original, and then there are covers that redo the song in a completely different way. This second category is where Richard Cheese is king. I love Richard Cheese. His act is that of the total misogynist loung singer, hittin on the ladies and wearing a tiger-striped velvet smoking jacket. He has an excellent voice and his band (Lounge Against the Machine) is very talented. The next time we're in Vegas, we are going to have to see him live. He does lounge (he calls them "swankified") versions of popular songs. His new album Aperitif for Destruction includes:
ME SO HORNY
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
BRASS MONKEY
BEEN CAUGHT STEALING
THE GIRL IS MINE
ENTER SANDMAN
WE ARE THE WORLD
AMERICAN IDIOT
Here's the full songlist.
06 June 2005
Dell, Ministry and Catharsis
I hate corporations.
I know there are some people who hate the government beauracracy, forms in triplicate, being transferred from place to place, standing in line, waiting on hold... but the government isn't making a profit while they make your life tedious, corporations are. They are making a bundle.
My latest adventure has been with Dell computers. You see, I bought a new laptop a few months ago and I really do love it, but dealing with their financial department has been a living hell. Now they're not dumb - their sales team is stateside - they don't want to piss off customers until they've purchased something. I ordered by phone because I could use the educational discount that way, and I talked to someone in Texas. Now that they have me by the short and curlies, they can transfer me overseas for all my other needs.
So to do the educational discount, I used the Dell financial services, which is basically like a loan or line of credit. Well, John handles all the bill payments through Quicken and online banking and has the system set up to do electronic fund transfers or something, I don't quite understand the process.
Long story short, the account number on the payment was missing the last digit. Now, you would think that having the other 14 digits, plus my name and account information, they would put 2 & 2 together and say "Hey, this payment is from Laura". No. They cashed the payment, it cleared the bank, but it never made it to my account. So according to them, my account is past due. Of course, I didn't know this of course until one of their helpful customer service representatives called me to inform me that I was a deadbeat. So she gave me a fax number and told me to fax over a bank record of the payment so they can "investigate" meanwhile would I like to do a check by phone? Um, NO, I'm not going to pay you twice.
So this morning, I call Dell and the woman tells me the fax was never received. whaaaaaaa? I say. It was nice for those other "service" representatives I spoke with over the past 2 weeks to tell me this. Turns out the first woman gave me the wrong fax number. So now they actually DO think I'm a deadbeat because they never started an investigation. After bitching to no end about why the incompetent people I've already spoken to didn't tell me this, I was given the correct number and the process begins again.
Meanwhile, there's nothing for me to do but eat Dell's bullshit and say "mmmm, delicious. My compliments to the chef". I do wish I could get someone who didn't have to answer every question I have with whatever script they have in their manuals. They aren't allowed to think for themselves, so they can't tell you anything that isn't already scripted.
I just hate the helplessness and runaround, which would still happen in the States as well.
I dread having to change our address information with all these pigs.
So anyway, I'm now listening to Ministry as a catharsis to my infuriation.
thieves, thieves and liars, murderers
hypocrites and bastards [in laughter]
hey thanks for nothing!
morals in the dust
two-faced bastards and sycophants
no trust
I know there are some people who hate the government beauracracy, forms in triplicate, being transferred from place to place, standing in line, waiting on hold... but the government isn't making a profit while they make your life tedious, corporations are. They are making a bundle.
My latest adventure has been with Dell computers. You see, I bought a new laptop a few months ago and I really do love it, but dealing with their financial department has been a living hell. Now they're not dumb - their sales team is stateside - they don't want to piss off customers until they've purchased something. I ordered by phone because I could use the educational discount that way, and I talked to someone in Texas. Now that they have me by the short and curlies, they can transfer me overseas for all my other needs.
So to do the educational discount, I used the Dell financial services, which is basically like a loan or line of credit. Well, John handles all the bill payments through Quicken and online banking and has the system set up to do electronic fund transfers or something, I don't quite understand the process.
Long story short, the account number on the payment was missing the last digit. Now, you would think that having the other 14 digits, plus my name and account information, they would put 2 & 2 together and say "Hey, this payment is from Laura". No. They cashed the payment, it cleared the bank, but it never made it to my account. So according to them, my account is past due. Of course, I didn't know this of course until one of their helpful customer service representatives called me to inform me that I was a deadbeat. So she gave me a fax number and told me to fax over a bank record of the payment so they can "investigate" meanwhile would I like to do a check by phone? Um, NO, I'm not going to pay you twice.
So this morning, I call Dell and the woman tells me the fax was never received. whaaaaaaa? I say. It was nice for those other "service" representatives I spoke with over the past 2 weeks to tell me this. Turns out the first woman gave me the wrong fax number. So now they actually DO think I'm a deadbeat because they never started an investigation. After bitching to no end about why the incompetent people I've already spoken to didn't tell me this, I was given the correct number and the process begins again.
Meanwhile, there's nothing for me to do but eat Dell's bullshit and say "mmmm, delicious. My compliments to the chef". I do wish I could get someone who didn't have to answer every question I have with whatever script they have in their manuals. They aren't allowed to think for themselves, so they can't tell you anything that isn't already scripted.
I just hate the helplessness and runaround, which would still happen in the States as well.
I dread having to change our address information with all these pigs.
So anyway, I'm now listening to Ministry as a catharsis to my infuriation.
thieves, thieves and liars, murderers
hypocrites and bastards [in laughter]
hey thanks for nothing!
morals in the dust
two-faced bastards and sycophants
no trust
05 June 2005
Forgotten War
I know we hear the term "forgotten war" so much regarding Afghanistan, but this article really show's from the soldiers view how they really are forgotten.
"The soldiers here sometimes joke that Afghanistan is the forgotten war, but that is not considered funny. Some letters addressed to the base chaplain, generic ones sent to support U.S. troops, even thank the soldiers here for what they have done for the Iraqi people. ...
When Sgt. Herman Sarantes was deployed to Iraq, his family, friends and acquaintances mailed him three or four packages a week. In Afghanistan, he said, he receives mail only from his wife and parents. And a letter can take six weeks to arrive."
GIs in Afghanistan wage `forgotten' war
Troops battle tedium, but peril still lurks
By Kim Barker
Tribune foreign correspondent
June 5, 2005
NEAR ORGUN, Afghanistan -- Sgt. Ben Crowley looks through the scope of his rifle at the suspicious white bag lying in the middle of the dusty road. He sees no wires poking out, nothing that screams bomb. He moves closer, his gun pointed at the bag. Four vehicles, filled with U.S. and Afghan soldiers, wait behind him.
But no one is nervous. The bag is what it seems--full of dirt and gravel and nothing else. It is a typical moment in a typical day near a typical base in the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan. Little happens throughout this day. No bombs, no rockets, no gunfire. Just hordes of children demanding chocolate and pens.
Crowley walks back to his Humvee, which will break down within the hour, the third time in a week. As usual, his rifle has no bullet in the chamber. He is not locked and loaded. Crowley does not see the point, because most attacks here involve roadside bombs, not guerrilla ambushes.
"Iraq is like a war," said Crowley, 28, of Greensboro, N.C. "This is like a summer camp."
Sometimes war is not hell. It is simply waiting. But the war in Afghanistan is not really a summer camp, unless summer camp involves swallowing pounds of dust every day, hiking with guns and searching for an alleged Taliban sympathizer named Mohammad Wali. And in this war, soldiers die. On Friday, two were killed by a roadside bomb east of where Crowley and his platoon had patrolled the day before.
But the war in Afghanistan is different from the war in Iraq.
The soldiers here sometimes joke that Afghanistan is the forgotten war, but that is not considered funny. Some letters addressed to the base chaplain, generic ones sent to support U.S. troops, even thank the soldiers here for what they have done for the Iraqi people.
"When I told some of my friends back home I was going to Afghanistan, one was like, `We're still over there? We have troops over there?'" said Sgt. Michael Kennicker, 25, of Greenwood, Neb. "To me, it is forgotten, it really is."
When Sgt. Herman Sarantes was deployed to Iraq, his family, friends and acquaintances mailed him three or four packages a week. In Afghanistan, he said, he receives mail only from his wife and parents. And a letter can take six weeks to arrive.
These soldiers all serve in the engineers platoon in the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade. Most in the battalion also have served in Iraq. A few have pulled triple duty--first Afghanistan, then Iraq, now Afghanistan again. They are among about 16,700 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan, helping rebuild the country and fighting insurgents, who sometimes go for months without attacking.
Danger always lurking
Combat here is sporadic but fierce, mostly along the Pakistan border. Roadside bombs are the most common weapon; the two U.S. soldiers killed by one Friday belonged to a unit getting ready to go home. Life might seem calmer in Afghanistan than Iraq, but this is a war.
"The soldiers are still in danger every day of their lives," said Sgt. 1st Class Rick Scavetta, a coalition spokesman.
Civilians are also at risk. In the past two weeks, three bombs have exploded, targeting Afghan demining groups in the southwest. A suicide bomber killed 19 people Wednesday at a Kandahar mosque.
Life for the engineers platoon has been more peaceful. Their battalion is stationed in Orgun-E, one of the larger of a dozen or so U.S.-led coalition bases along the border with Pakistan and in southern Afghanistan.
Everything is slower here in Paktika province. The Humvees tool along at 10 m.p.h. on Highway 141--really a narrow, bumpy dirt trail. There are no paved roads; some are just dried-out creek beds. The mail takes so long to arrive because it has to be sent by helicopter or "jingle truck," a local truck with dangling, clanging chains. Short patrols take a long time.
"Oh, it's going to be a long, boring day," said Sgt. 1st Class William Porter, 36, the platoon leader, at the beginning of a recent patrol. Fifteen U.S. soldiers and 12 Afghan troops planned to visit people in five villages. Porter brought along two books: "The Complete Guide to Investing in Rental Properties" and "Own Your Own Corporation."
The most exciting moment on this patrol is a tossup--maybe the bag in the middle of the road, or a generator that sounds like an automatic rifle, or an unexploded mortar shell found decorating an Afghan's home.
The Afghan soldiers find out more information than the U.S. soldiers; they grab the mortar and they learn that a nearby gang of thieves is still active.
But "exciting" is not the point. And boredom is good, the soldiers say.
"Suits me just fine," Crowley said. "If I never have to fire my weapon again, I'll be happy."
Paktika province has long been considered a Taliban haven, but that is changing. When set up shortly after the fall of the Taliban in December 2001, the Orgun-E base faced weekly rocket attacks. By last year, the attacks were monthly.
Since this unit arrived in late February, no rockets have been fired at the base. A few roadside bombs have been found nearby, but villagers reported all of them and none exploded. The bomb that killed the two soldiers from another unit was a rarity. The three soldiers killed from this unit died in a helicopter crash, not combat.
Progress against militants
In recent weeks, the Paktika governor finally planted an Afghan flag in the lawless land of Bermel, the only district that had not yet pledged support to the government. The new Bermel police chief replaced a man whose head was cut off by insurgents last year.
Many people seem to be moving on. The police chief of another nearby district is a former Taliban member who recently rejoined the government.
"Paktika early on was a Taliban stronghold, and now it is not," said Lt. Col. Tim McGuire, the battalion commander. "There are isolated bands, but the vast majority of the people support the government."
But the minority is not just going away. Insurgents are still planting bombs to kill U.S. soldiers. Fighting also broke out last week in Bermel, between soldiers and insurgents trying to cross the Pakistani border. Some people simply shoot bad looks at the soldiers. In a nearby district, someone posted "night letters," warnings that Afghans who support the U.S. will be killed. When the governor travels to different districts, not everyone claps.
"Some of the guys around here weren't too happy about having the governor," said Sarantes, 28, of Miami. "We ask them, `Who's the president?' They say they don't know. We ask, `Who's Hamid Karzai?' They say, `He's your president, not ours.'"
Sometimes unwelcome
Some Afghans allege abuse, they worry about American soldiers searching their homes.
In Iraq, the engineers' platoon, which specializes in demolition, blew up bombs and weapons caches and sometimes doors. Here it works like an infantry platoon, checking roads, visiting villages and providing security.
"Here, it's more hearts and minds," Sarantes said. "Pretty much we have to put our weapons away and see how people are doing."
That means drinking a lot of tea and listening to people complain about a lack of roads and schools. It means Crowley showing kids that he can wiggle his ears and later play "Dixie" on his harmonica. It means pens, chocolates and peppermints.
Most Afghans encountered on the patrol say they are happy to see the Americans. Only one girl sobs and says she is scared. The U.S. soldiers let the Afghan troops take the lead; the Afghans walk first, they talk first, they search first, if necessary. U.S. soldiers follow. The goal is to train the Afghan soldiers to handle their country's security.
At one point, Sarantes walks up the main road of Orgun, the village closest to the base. He asks a shopkeeper whether he has heard anything about the three jingle-truck robberies on Highway 141. Daoud, the shopkeeper, who like many Afghans has only one name, says he knows nothing.
Sarantes asks Daoud what he knows about a roadside bomb found before it exploded. Again, Daoud says he knows nothing.
"If we see mines or something, we'll let you know," Daoud promises him. "But if you want tea, we'll give you tea now."
Later, Sarantes and Kennicker will ask men in other villages whether they know. They will ask about Mohammad Wali, who is on the so-called black list of Taliban sympathizers and insurgents.
The U.S. soldiers will learn little. But they will drink many cups of tea, and they will be told repeatedly that Afghans only want peace, and that nobody here wants to fight anymore.
kbarker@tribune.com
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
"The soldiers here sometimes joke that Afghanistan is the forgotten war, but that is not considered funny. Some letters addressed to the base chaplain, generic ones sent to support U.S. troops, even thank the soldiers here for what they have done for the Iraqi people. ...
When Sgt. Herman Sarantes was deployed to Iraq, his family, friends and acquaintances mailed him three or four packages a week. In Afghanistan, he said, he receives mail only from his wife and parents. And a letter can take six weeks to arrive."
GIs in Afghanistan wage `forgotten' war
Troops battle tedium, but peril still lurks
By Kim Barker
Tribune foreign correspondent
June 5, 2005
NEAR ORGUN, Afghanistan -- Sgt. Ben Crowley looks through the scope of his rifle at the suspicious white bag lying in the middle of the dusty road. He sees no wires poking out, nothing that screams bomb. He moves closer, his gun pointed at the bag. Four vehicles, filled with U.S. and Afghan soldiers, wait behind him.
But no one is nervous. The bag is what it seems--full of dirt and gravel and nothing else. It is a typical moment in a typical day near a typical base in the middle of nowhere, Afghanistan. Little happens throughout this day. No bombs, no rockets, no gunfire. Just hordes of children demanding chocolate and pens.
Crowley walks back to his Humvee, which will break down within the hour, the third time in a week. As usual, his rifle has no bullet in the chamber. He is not locked and loaded. Crowley does not see the point, because most attacks here involve roadside bombs, not guerrilla ambushes.
"Iraq is like a war," said Crowley, 28, of Greensboro, N.C. "This is like a summer camp."
Sometimes war is not hell. It is simply waiting. But the war in Afghanistan is not really a summer camp, unless summer camp involves swallowing pounds of dust every day, hiking with guns and searching for an alleged Taliban sympathizer named Mohammad Wali. And in this war, soldiers die. On Friday, two were killed by a roadside bomb east of where Crowley and his platoon had patrolled the day before.
But the war in Afghanistan is different from the war in Iraq.
The soldiers here sometimes joke that Afghanistan is the forgotten war, but that is not considered funny. Some letters addressed to the base chaplain, generic ones sent to support U.S. troops, even thank the soldiers here for what they have done for the Iraqi people.
"When I told some of my friends back home I was going to Afghanistan, one was like, `We're still over there? We have troops over there?'" said Sgt. Michael Kennicker, 25, of Greenwood, Neb. "To me, it is forgotten, it really is."
When Sgt. Herman Sarantes was deployed to Iraq, his family, friends and acquaintances mailed him three or four packages a week. In Afghanistan, he said, he receives mail only from his wife and parents. And a letter can take six weeks to arrive.
These soldiers all serve in the engineers platoon in the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade. Most in the battalion also have served in Iraq. A few have pulled triple duty--first Afghanistan, then Iraq, now Afghanistan again. They are among about 16,700 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan, helping rebuild the country and fighting insurgents, who sometimes go for months without attacking.
Danger always lurking
Combat here is sporadic but fierce, mostly along the Pakistan border. Roadside bombs are the most common weapon; the two U.S. soldiers killed by one Friday belonged to a unit getting ready to go home. Life might seem calmer in Afghanistan than Iraq, but this is a war.
"The soldiers are still in danger every day of their lives," said Sgt. 1st Class Rick Scavetta, a coalition spokesman.
Civilians are also at risk. In the past two weeks, three bombs have exploded, targeting Afghan demining groups in the southwest. A suicide bomber killed 19 people Wednesday at a Kandahar mosque.
Life for the engineers platoon has been more peaceful. Their battalion is stationed in Orgun-E, one of the larger of a dozen or so U.S.-led coalition bases along the border with Pakistan and in southern Afghanistan.
Everything is slower here in Paktika province. The Humvees tool along at 10 m.p.h. on Highway 141--really a narrow, bumpy dirt trail. There are no paved roads; some are just dried-out creek beds. The mail takes so long to arrive because it has to be sent by helicopter or "jingle truck," a local truck with dangling, clanging chains. Short patrols take a long time.
"Oh, it's going to be a long, boring day," said Sgt. 1st Class William Porter, 36, the platoon leader, at the beginning of a recent patrol. Fifteen U.S. soldiers and 12 Afghan troops planned to visit people in five villages. Porter brought along two books: "The Complete Guide to Investing in Rental Properties" and "Own Your Own Corporation."
The most exciting moment on this patrol is a tossup--maybe the bag in the middle of the road, or a generator that sounds like an automatic rifle, or an unexploded mortar shell found decorating an Afghan's home.
The Afghan soldiers find out more information than the U.S. soldiers; they grab the mortar and they learn that a nearby gang of thieves is still active.
But "exciting" is not the point. And boredom is good, the soldiers say.
"Suits me just fine," Crowley said. "If I never have to fire my weapon again, I'll be happy."
Paktika province has long been considered a Taliban haven, but that is changing. When set up shortly after the fall of the Taliban in December 2001, the Orgun-E base faced weekly rocket attacks. By last year, the attacks were monthly.
Since this unit arrived in late February, no rockets have been fired at the base. A few roadside bombs have been found nearby, but villagers reported all of them and none exploded. The bomb that killed the two soldiers from another unit was a rarity. The three soldiers killed from this unit died in a helicopter crash, not combat.
Progress against militants
In recent weeks, the Paktika governor finally planted an Afghan flag in the lawless land of Bermel, the only district that had not yet pledged support to the government. The new Bermel police chief replaced a man whose head was cut off by insurgents last year.
Many people seem to be moving on. The police chief of another nearby district is a former Taliban member who recently rejoined the government.
"Paktika early on was a Taliban stronghold, and now it is not," said Lt. Col. Tim McGuire, the battalion commander. "There are isolated bands, but the vast majority of the people support the government."
But the minority is not just going away. Insurgents are still planting bombs to kill U.S. soldiers. Fighting also broke out last week in Bermel, between soldiers and insurgents trying to cross the Pakistani border. Some people simply shoot bad looks at the soldiers. In a nearby district, someone posted "night letters," warnings that Afghans who support the U.S. will be killed. When the governor travels to different districts, not everyone claps.
"Some of the guys around here weren't too happy about having the governor," said Sarantes, 28, of Miami. "We ask them, `Who's the president?' They say they don't know. We ask, `Who's Hamid Karzai?' They say, `He's your president, not ours.'"
Sometimes unwelcome
Some Afghans allege abuse, they worry about American soldiers searching their homes.
In Iraq, the engineers' platoon, which specializes in demolition, blew up bombs and weapons caches and sometimes doors. Here it works like an infantry platoon, checking roads, visiting villages and providing security.
"Here, it's more hearts and minds," Sarantes said. "Pretty much we have to put our weapons away and see how people are doing."
That means drinking a lot of tea and listening to people complain about a lack of roads and schools. It means Crowley showing kids that he can wiggle his ears and later play "Dixie" on his harmonica. It means pens, chocolates and peppermints.
Most Afghans encountered on the patrol say they are happy to see the Americans. Only one girl sobs and says she is scared. The U.S. soldiers let the Afghan troops take the lead; the Afghans walk first, they talk first, they search first, if necessary. U.S. soldiers follow. The goal is to train the Afghan soldiers to handle their country's security.
At one point, Sarantes walks up the main road of Orgun, the village closest to the base. He asks a shopkeeper whether he has heard anything about the three jingle-truck robberies on Highway 141. Daoud, the shopkeeper, who like many Afghans has only one name, says he knows nothing.
Sarantes asks Daoud what he knows about a roadside bomb found before it exploded. Again, Daoud says he knows nothing.
"If we see mines or something, we'll let you know," Daoud promises him. "But if you want tea, we'll give you tea now."
Later, Sarantes and Kennicker will ask men in other villages whether they know. They will ask about Mohammad Wali, who is on the so-called black list of Taliban sympathizers and insurgents.
The U.S. soldiers will learn little. But they will drink many cups of tea, and they will be told repeatedly that Afghans only want peace, and that nobody here wants to fight anymore.
kbarker@tribune.com
Copyright © 2005, Chicago Tribune
03 June 2005
Go Girl!
Nawal el Sadaawi, one of the leading Muslim feminists is running for president in Egypt. She's an author, a doctor, and the former Minister of Health for Anwar Sadat until she was jailed for promoting a feminist agenda. Of course, we all know the Islamists have their panties in a twist over this. To them, women are like children - without adequate reason and ability to govern. BAH.
She rocks. I highly recommend Woman at Point Zero. It's a tiny, very short (100 pgs) work of fiction but based on real situations and is a moving commentary on the position of women in Egypt and the Islamic world in general.
Her other books are great as well.
So, Go Girl.
She rocks. I highly recommend Woman at Point Zero. It's a tiny, very short (100 pgs) work of fiction but based on real situations and is a moving commentary on the position of women in Egypt and the Islamic world in general.
Her other books are great as well.
So, Go Girl.
Downing Street Memo
Finally! After getting virtually NO attention in the US/Mainstream media, even after a congressional call for an investigation, word about the Downing Street Memo is finally surfacing (thanks to the internet).
If you haven't heard, the Downing Street Memo are the minutes of a meeting 8 months prior to the Iraq invasion. In this meeting it was determined that even though US officals did not see Iraq as a major threat, they were attempting to fit intelligence around their call for war. In short, they wanted to go to war whether or not Iraq was a threat (most of us suspected that anyway) and they deliberately manipulated intelligence to fit their story. In short, Bush lied (but we knew that too). This memo is concrete evidence.
Do I smell impeachment? I know there's no hope of success given the makeup of congress, but we need a call for impeachment at the very least. Maybe this can wake "middle-america" up from it's stupor. Your president lied to you and your (our) children are dying for it. Wake the fuck up!
Here's some links regarding Downing Street:
Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) has an open letter to President Bush you can sign and send here.
If you haven't heard, the Downing Street Memo are the minutes of a meeting 8 months prior to the Iraq invasion. In this meeting it was determined that even though US officals did not see Iraq as a major threat, they were attempting to fit intelligence around their call for war. In short, they wanted to go to war whether or not Iraq was a threat (most of us suspected that anyway) and they deliberately manipulated intelligence to fit their story. In short, Bush lied (but we knew that too). This memo is concrete evidence.
Do I smell impeachment? I know there's no hope of success given the makeup of congress, but we need a call for impeachment at the very least. Maybe this can wake "middle-america" up from it's stupor. Your president lied to you and your (our) children are dying for it. Wake the fuck up!
Here's some links regarding Downing Street:
Congressman John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) has an open letter to President Bush you can sign and send here.
02 June 2005
Stuff
So I'm going to pick up the keys to our new place tonight after work. I'm so excited. Hopefully the last tenants didn't leave the place a wreck.
We're renting a car to go to John's dad's in Indiana this Saturday and are going to use the car to bring a few boxes and our pup to the new place on Sunday. We'll have to bring the camera so everyone can see that my father in law is the Bizzaro Mark (Greatwhitebear). Somewhat similar in appearance, complete ideological opposites. It's funny.
I always think it's a good idea to bring critters to their new home before moving so they can familiarize themselves with it. So most likely we'll take some cleaning supplies and a few boxes and just let Annie chill in her new surroundings for a few hours. If she's good, maybe we'll take her to the dog beach as a reward if we're not too tired.
In the meantime, check out Kyle. I haven't seen him in years, but recently looked up his old website and it led me here.
We're renting a car to go to John's dad's in Indiana this Saturday and are going to use the car to bring a few boxes and our pup to the new place on Sunday. We'll have to bring the camera so everyone can see that my father in law is the Bizzaro Mark (Greatwhitebear). Somewhat similar in appearance, complete ideological opposites. It's funny.
I always think it's a good idea to bring critters to their new home before moving so they can familiarize themselves with it. So most likely we'll take some cleaning supplies and a few boxes and just let Annie chill in her new surroundings for a few hours. If she's good, maybe we'll take her to the dog beach as a reward if we're not too tired.
In the meantime, check out Kyle. I haven't seen him in years, but recently looked up his old website and it led me here.
Procrastination
Ya know, I was a research assistant in Psychology on a project about procrastination. How appropriate.
I confess, I have been mezmerized by the Tashian Lost in Translation page. Damn you Judy!
I couldn't help myself. Below is the Tashian re-translation of selected Bible passages:
Lev 19:18: You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Translation: They do not make the examinación of vendetta, none that you use each Groll possible to satisfy the children with your people; but loving its end like.
Rev 1:3: Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand.
Translation: Gesegnet, of that one the law and that one, that one feels the words of the prophecy and the things the end to arrest it, that are written inside, because the time is present.
Rev 6:2: And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.
Translation: And it considers them, white man of the horse and, that the addition eats an elbow of the expensive outpost had. Outpost was reported and came in the front part from conquerer and the conquest.
Lev 18:22: You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman. That is detestible.
Translation: Rick Santorum likes it as far up the ass as he can get it.
;-}
I confess, I have been mezmerized by the Tashian Lost in Translation page. Damn you Judy!
I couldn't help myself. Below is the Tashian re-translation of selected Bible passages:
Lev 19:18: You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Translation: They do not make the examinación of vendetta, none that you use each Groll possible to satisfy the children with your people; but loving its end like.
Rev 1:3: Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand.
Translation: Gesegnet, of that one the law and that one, that one feels the words of the prophecy and the things the end to arrest it, that are written inside, because the time is present.
Rev 6:2: And behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow. A crown was given to him, and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.
Translation: And it considers them, white man of the horse and, that the addition eats an elbow of the expensive outpost had. Outpost was reported and came in the front part from conquerer and the conquest.
Lev 18:22: You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman. That is detestible.
Translation: Rick Santorum likes it as far up the ass as he can get it.
;-}
Stiffed!
Katha Pollitt explores the still ignored double-standard concerning birth-control and sexuality for men and women...
If my door swung that way, I'd want to marry this woman. I love her.
Even though prescription coverage of contraceptives has improved, the only method covered by ALL plans is still sterilzation. What kind of message does that send?
If my door swung that way, I'd want to marry this woman. I love her.
Even though prescription coverage of contraceptives has improved, the only method covered by ALL plans is still sterilzation. What kind of message does that send?
01 June 2005
Proof!
Judy posted this. I had to post for y'all.
Play around with this site and then tell me the Bible (or any other ancient text) can be translated, retranslated, edited, and translated again and still maintain the integrity of the original.
I typed:
I like chicken, I like liver, meow mix meow mix please deliver
Final Translated back to English:
Master the chicken, I that I appreciate the liver, the mixtures, that request with meow to the mixture of the sources of meow me
sure pal.
Play around with this site and then tell me the Bible (or any other ancient text) can be translated, retranslated, edited, and translated again and still maintain the integrity of the original.
I typed:
I like chicken, I like liver, meow mix meow mix please deliver
Final Translated back to English:
Master the chicken, I that I appreciate the liver, the mixtures, that request with meow to the mixture of the sources of meow me
sure pal.
Oh the irony
"Political satire became obsolete the day Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize"
-- Songwriter Tom Lehrer
So Henry Kissinger is now saying that W. Mark Felt (aka Deep Throat) was just a bitter and disgruntled employeed who ratted out Nixon because he was passed up for Director of the FBI. He also said something akin to "people in high-level government should not spy on their president".
Ok. First off. Where does Kissinger get off criticizing others' "lack" of morality in government??? That's like the pot calling the kettle black.
Secondly, if your president is breaking the law and defrauding the American citizens and you have proof. Damn right you blow the whistle. He couldn't tell the Director of the FBI since he was Nixon's buddy and was mishandling the Watergate investigation to begin with. Where else could he go? The press was the only answer. Let them blow the lid off of it if the FBI won't investigate.
I wish we had a Deep Throat of the Bush Administration. You know someone knows where their bodies are buried. Also, for some reason, the American public and the press doesn't seem to care when a story breaks of how King George or his administration has broken the law or lied to his subjects.
**sigh**
-- Songwriter Tom Lehrer
So Henry Kissinger is now saying that W. Mark Felt (aka Deep Throat) was just a bitter and disgruntled employeed who ratted out Nixon because he was passed up for Director of the FBI. He also said something akin to "people in high-level government should not spy on their president".
Ok. First off. Where does Kissinger get off criticizing others' "lack" of morality in government??? That's like the pot calling the kettle black.
Secondly, if your president is breaking the law and defrauding the American citizens and you have proof. Damn right you blow the whistle. He couldn't tell the Director of the FBI since he was Nixon's buddy and was mishandling the Watergate investigation to begin with. Where else could he go? The press was the only answer. Let them blow the lid off of it if the FBI won't investigate.
I wish we had a Deep Throat of the Bush Administration. You know someone knows where their bodies are buried. Also, for some reason, the American public and the press doesn't seem to care when a story breaks of how King George or his administration has broken the law or lied to his subjects.
**sigh**
Is it just me?
Or does it seem like every other week they're filming another movie on South Wabash? I'm sure they're using Grant park but since you can't park on Michigan Ave, they have to park their trailers on Wabash. Once again the street is lined with trailers. Found out from a security guard that they're filming something called Stranger than Fiction
Will Farrell, Emma Tompson, Maggie Gyllehaal, Queen Latifah, AND Dustin Hoffman in the same movie? That really does sound stranger than fiction. Maybe I'll catch a glimpse.
Will Farrell, Emma Tompson, Maggie Gyllehaal, Queen Latifah, AND Dustin Hoffman in the same movie? That really does sound stranger than fiction. Maybe I'll catch a glimpse.
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