One of the entries on the Google search page led to another description of the video and this one did have a link. Again, I followed it.
Why?
That’s a tough question. For one thing, I was 99 percent sure it was a hoax for the reasons I cite above. On the off chance that it was real, well, I guess I’m just as curious about death as the next person. What is it? What does it look like? Does it hurt? Is it scary? It’s a morbid curiosity, but one I’m willing to bet hits a very large percent of the American population.
The link sent me to an underground extreme pornography/gore site. I know these kinds of things are out there and had stumbled across them in my Web travels. From what little I have seen it looks like they contain a lot of military video of casualties, pictures of gruesome deaths that have found their way out of news agencies and police stations, bloody injuries and extreme sexual content. What I’ve seen in the real world and in the news is enough for me, so this voyeuristic second hand take holds little interest.
Still, I was on the site where the typical start movie graphic was playing, a kind of evil YouTube page as it were. I hit the play button and angled my cursor to be ready to close the screen if need be. At most, I saw 5 seconds of the video before getting the hell out of there. I’m 99 percent sure the video is real.
I didn’t see much and what I did see wasn’t particularly brutal or nasty but it was convincing. Its non-film feel and its simplicity tell me that it’s indeed what people are saying it is.
This thing hit me like a truck. It has nothing to do with what I did or didn’t see. Instead, it’s just knowing that this thing is out there that has floored me. My feelings mirror what I experienced after a few other events. It’s an emotional confusion…a crushing sorrow…a raging anger…a struggle to grasp at reality and lots of fear. Fear for the world, my friends, my family, myself.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
When real is too real Part I
I was feeling sick to my stomach Sunday morning but I didn’t have the flu or some kind of intestinal bug. Either of those would have been preferable to the emotional turbulence that gripped me.
Saturday night after spending a leisurely day reading the paper, having a few beers and enjoying Sactown’s Santa Parade I found myself at my computer trying to track down a live broadcast of Sactown’s own Grant High School playing Long Beach Poly for the state’s football title. Grant won, congrats to them, and as it was 11 PM I decided to stay in and do a bit of Web surfing before turning in. I went to my usual virtual hangouts: Google News, Anomalist.com. Fark.com, LA Times and so on and read a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
I also checked in at BoingBoing.com, an off-the-wall technology blog that is informative and often good for a laugh. Featured was a story about a viral video that was making its rounds on the Internet. The cell phone video was supposedly taken by a group of Ukrainian youths as they were in the act of murdering a man. The story goes that these 3 rich kids had killed 21 people and documented their acts with numerous photographs and a few cell phone videos. One or possibly more of these videos had, of course, made its way on to the internet.
As I had never heard anything about this on any news site and there has never, ever been a documented snuff film (a video where someone is killed just for the sake of recording it) discovered, I was highly skeptical. No, that’s not the right word…I was sure it was a hoax and was instead a viral video for a gruesome new movie or some college kids testing out their special effects knowhow.
I read the entry and although the poster hadn’t actually watched the video he warned that he was led to believe that it was highly disturbing, vile and cruel. He highly suggested that the video be avoided but he did include a link, not to the video, but to a Google search of what the supposed killers called themselves. He did this to show that very little information on the video, killings and killers was available on English language Internet sites. I followed it.
Saturday night after spending a leisurely day reading the paper, having a few beers and enjoying Sactown’s Santa Parade I found myself at my computer trying to track down a live broadcast of Sactown’s own Grant High School playing Long Beach Poly for the state’s football title. Grant won, congrats to them, and as it was 11 PM I decided to stay in and do a bit of Web surfing before turning in. I went to my usual virtual hangouts: Google News, Anomalist.com. Fark.com, LA Times and so on and read a little bit of this and a little bit of that.
I also checked in at BoingBoing.com, an off-the-wall technology blog that is informative and often good for a laugh. Featured was a story about a viral video that was making its rounds on the Internet. The cell phone video was supposedly taken by a group of Ukrainian youths as they were in the act of murdering a man. The story goes that these 3 rich kids had killed 21 people and documented their acts with numerous photographs and a few cell phone videos. One or possibly more of these videos had, of course, made its way on to the internet.
As I had never heard anything about this on any news site and there has never, ever been a documented snuff film (a video where someone is killed just for the sake of recording it) discovered, I was highly skeptical. No, that’s not the right word…I was sure it was a hoax and was instead a viral video for a gruesome new movie or some college kids testing out their special effects knowhow.
I read the entry and although the poster hadn’t actually watched the video he warned that he was led to believe that it was highly disturbing, vile and cruel. He highly suggested that the video be avoided but he did include a link, not to the video, but to a Google search of what the supposed killers called themselves. He did this to show that very little information on the video, killings and killers was available on English language Internet sites. I followed it.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
homeless
It’s been busy at work and at home with the holidays and all, but overall it’s been a good time. At work we’re moving to another office on another floor and there have been lots of holiday photographs to shoot and things to write.
Thanksgiving was awesome. The Scotland crew came into town and my brother visited with his wife and new daughter. We had almost a week to spend together and I honestly enjoyed every moment of it. Thanks all.
Broadening the focus a bit, the Sacramento Bee ran an article last Wednesday about the area’s homeless and the ridiculous dance they do with local police. It seems that every few weeks the police rouse the homeless from illegal Homeless Camp A. The unwashed masses pack their things and move a few miles away to Homeless Camp B. Fast forward a few weeks: local police rouse the homeless from illegal Homeless Camp B. The unwashed masses pack their things and move a few miles back to Homeless Camp A…and repeat ad nauseam.
The Bee estimates that about 2,500 homeless call Sacramento their home, with 700 hundred of these having been on the streets for a year or more. There’s no estimate on how much money or time city services, to include police and health, spend on them or the cost of the blight that trails them.
I understand that many of the homeless are there by choice and that the vast majority have drug and alcohol problems and are afflicted by any number of mental illnesses. In the Bee article they focused on one homeless lady, an admitted bipolar meth-head, who said she would like to get clean and live in an apartment. However, she also expressed an appreciation for the freedom being homeless offered. Another homeless person interviewed was downright hostile to the idea of living a “normal” life.
I can’t say that living the homeless lifestyle is right or wrong, but I really lean to it being wrong and here is why, it has a negative effect on other people. I’m not talking just about how uncomfortable homeless people make others feel, but the crime, blight, pollution and resources they destroy.
In Sacramento, the homeless have taken over large swaths of land that run along one of our nearby rivers. The human waste and pollution have devastated the area, stripped it of its recreational properties and left it in shambles. The area of the town near our homeless shelter is nothing but warehouses, recycling yards and a porn shop. It really can’t be improved or made habitable.
The Obama administration has expressed interest in pumping money into rebuilding our country’s failing infrastructure. Keeping in mind that some of these homeless want to get clean, straight and live a more “regular” life, I’d like to suggest that part of this budget stimulus being considered focus on building a humanitarian infrastructure. Let’s get many more drug counselors, mental health and social service specialists out to schools, police stations and homeless shelters. Let’s offer scholarships to students studying in these areas or pay for their educations outright for which they’ll be required to serve the public good for four or five years. This will help pump money into the economy by creating more consumers, in this case former homeless and students who now have degrees/certificates and greater income. Hopefully, with more of these specialists in schools and the community in general we can lower future crime rates, move many of the homeless of the streets and create, in general, a better world for all people.
Click: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/12/twilight.html
The trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine!!!
Thanksgiving was awesome. The Scotland crew came into town and my brother visited with his wife and new daughter. We had almost a week to spend together and I honestly enjoyed every moment of it. Thanks all.
Broadening the focus a bit, the Sacramento Bee ran an article last Wednesday about the area’s homeless and the ridiculous dance they do with local police. It seems that every few weeks the police rouse the homeless from illegal Homeless Camp A. The unwashed masses pack their things and move a few miles away to Homeless Camp B. Fast forward a few weeks: local police rouse the homeless from illegal Homeless Camp B. The unwashed masses pack their things and move a few miles back to Homeless Camp A…and repeat ad nauseam.
The Bee estimates that about 2,500 homeless call Sacramento their home, with 700 hundred of these having been on the streets for a year or more. There’s no estimate on how much money or time city services, to include police and health, spend on them or the cost of the blight that trails them.
I understand that many of the homeless are there by choice and that the vast majority have drug and alcohol problems and are afflicted by any number of mental illnesses. In the Bee article they focused on one homeless lady, an admitted bipolar meth-head, who said she would like to get clean and live in an apartment. However, she also expressed an appreciation for the freedom being homeless offered. Another homeless person interviewed was downright hostile to the idea of living a “normal” life.
I can’t say that living the homeless lifestyle is right or wrong, but I really lean to it being wrong and here is why, it has a negative effect on other people. I’m not talking just about how uncomfortable homeless people make others feel, but the crime, blight, pollution and resources they destroy.
In Sacramento, the homeless have taken over large swaths of land that run along one of our nearby rivers. The human waste and pollution have devastated the area, stripped it of its recreational properties and left it in shambles. The area of the town near our homeless shelter is nothing but warehouses, recycling yards and a porn shop. It really can’t be improved or made habitable.
The Obama administration has expressed interest in pumping money into rebuilding our country’s failing infrastructure. Keeping in mind that some of these homeless want to get clean, straight and live a more “regular” life, I’d like to suggest that part of this budget stimulus being considered focus on building a humanitarian infrastructure. Let’s get many more drug counselors, mental health and social service specialists out to schools, police stations and homeless shelters. Let’s offer scholarships to students studying in these areas or pay for their educations outright for which they’ll be required to serve the public good for four or five years. This will help pump money into the economy by creating more consumers, in this case former homeless and students who now have degrees/certificates and greater income. Hopefully, with more of these specialists in schools and the community in general we can lower future crime rates, move many of the homeless of the streets and create, in general, a better world for all people.
Click: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2008/12/twilight.html
The trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine!!!
Thursday, November 20, 2008
OBEY
Damn it’s been a long time since I’ve written. When I fall into one of these funks/depressions I don’t get around to doing much. More often than not, I end up sitting around watching TV or just Internet surfing.
The good thing about that is that the Internet has some pretty cool stuff on it. This last Tuesday was the 25th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre so I did a little reading up on the whole situation. It’s incredibly scary and was an incident that was very well documented, because the leader of the People’s Temple who set up the Jonestown commune recorded hours and hours of audiotape. Many of the recordings are online and NPR has a fantastic audio documentary made in 1981 posted to their Web site.
If you’re unaware of the story, the gist of it is that the leader of the People’s Temple cult flew nearly 1,000 of his followers to South America and attempted to set up a socialist/communist style commune of which he was the head, if not its one sole god. As with all things in this vein it ended badly, extremely badly. In the end over 900 people were killed or voluntarily committed suicide by drinking cyanide.
Give most people a charismatic, authoritarian leader and they’ll obey anything and everything that leader says. I find it so hard to reconcile this willingness to obey, this total lack of logic or reason but it’s been so well documented. (The Stanford Prison Experiment and the Milgram Experiment are perfect examples.)
What bothers me the most is not knowing what I or those I know would do. Would I, could I do something like the above.
Click: http://forgetomori.com/2008/skepticism/best-pareidolia-ever/
Can you see the child?
The good thing about that is that the Internet has some pretty cool stuff on it. This last Tuesday was the 25th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre so I did a little reading up on the whole situation. It’s incredibly scary and was an incident that was very well documented, because the leader of the People’s Temple who set up the Jonestown commune recorded hours and hours of audiotape. Many of the recordings are online and NPR has a fantastic audio documentary made in 1981 posted to their Web site.
If you’re unaware of the story, the gist of it is that the leader of the People’s Temple cult flew nearly 1,000 of his followers to South America and attempted to set up a socialist/communist style commune of which he was the head, if not its one sole god. As with all things in this vein it ended badly, extremely badly. In the end over 900 people were killed or voluntarily committed suicide by drinking cyanide.
Give most people a charismatic, authoritarian leader and they’ll obey anything and everything that leader says. I find it so hard to reconcile this willingness to obey, this total lack of logic or reason but it’s been so well documented. (The Stanford Prison Experiment and the Milgram Experiment are perfect examples.)
What bothers me the most is not knowing what I or those I know would do. Would I, could I do something like the above.
Click: http://forgetomori.com/2008/skepticism/best-pareidolia-ever/
Can you see the child?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A little perspective please
Here in California it looks like the most contentious issue this election season isn’t Democrat v. Republican, but is instead whether gay men and women should have the right to marry. My stance on this is clear: marriage is for people in love, no matter what their gender.
Because of this, I actually consider it a non-issue as there are far more pressing concerns California and the world should be dealing with. Two men getting married isn’t going to put me out of a job, kill a handful of Iraqis or cause my parents house to be foreclosed on. It just isn’t that big of a deal and has little impact on the world at large. This is partly why I find the fact that so many religious groups are pouring money, resources and their concern into stopping gay marriage so laughable.
I mean, if we take a look at the bible it throws a lot of stuff the faithful should or should not do out there. Things you should do: love your mother and father, care for the sick, be meek, help those less fortunate, feed the hungry, keep Sunday sacred and so on. Things you shouldn’t do kill, steal, want what you do not have, worship other gods and so on.
So when it comes to asking “What Would Jesus Do?” about gay marriage, the answer seems to me to be very little. Why? Because he’d be too busy trying to bring peace to the Congo, protecting the innocent, housing homeless families, feeding the hungry, and so much more.
What would pierce the cold heart of a Catholic God more, two men finding happiness in marriage or the attacking, raping and killing of his believers in India ?
How about a little perspective people.
Anyway, here is some clickability: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-turtle31-2008oct31,0,6874328.story
BE FREE!!!
Because of this, I actually consider it a non-issue as there are far more pressing concerns California and the world should be dealing with. Two men getting married isn’t going to put me out of a job, kill a handful of Iraqis or cause my parents house to be foreclosed on. It just isn’t that big of a deal and has little impact on the world at large. This is partly why I find the fact that so many religious groups are pouring money, resources and their concern into stopping gay marriage so laughable.
I mean, if we take a look at the bible it throws a lot of stuff the faithful should or should not do out there. Things you should do: love your mother and father, care for the sick, be meek, help those less fortunate, feed the hungry, keep Sunday sacred and so on. Things you shouldn’t do kill, steal, want what you do not have, worship other gods and so on.
So when it comes to asking “What Would Jesus Do?” about gay marriage, the answer seems to me to be very little. Why? Because he’d be too busy trying to bring peace to the Congo, protecting the innocent, housing homeless families, feeding the hungry, and so much more.
What would pierce the cold heart of a Catholic God more, two men finding happiness in marriage or the attacking, raping and killing of his believers in India ?
How about a little perspective people.
Anyway, here is some clickability: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-turtle31-2008oct31,0,6874328.story
BE FREE!!!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I’ve been feeling out of sorts lately, a bit depressed, a bit afraid, restless and a bit worried about just about everything under the sun.
These feelings run through every aspect of my life: low pay, no roommate, lack of money, no prospect for a relationship, blah, blah, blah. I guess it could be identified as the classic-lower-middle-class-malaise that so many single people in their late twenties and early thirties find themselves in from time to time. Still, that doesn’t make me feel any better.
A few days ago when I joked with a friend about this feeling she told me that life wasn’t a race. After thinking about it for a bit, I have to say, no it is. Although I’m no longer measuring myself against others I am measuring myself against the passage of time.
For example, next year I’ll officially be on the downside of my thirties, which puts me at approximately halfway through the average man’s life span of 72. With my military stint and my struggle though college I began saving and investing late. Now my retirement and my investments are hemorrhaging funds, finances are so tight my savings has nearly vanished and I don’t want to attempt (I stress that in this economy) to leave a job I am still using for experience for a job that pays better. Because of this, I worry this financial instability will keep me in economic limbo and the stresses that accompany it for the rest of my life.
Damn, sometimes life is a bitch.
Here is some giggity: http://www.keyetv.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=21056@keye.dayport.com&navCatId=24
Giant Balls!!!
These feelings run through every aspect of my life: low pay, no roommate, lack of money, no prospect for a relationship, blah, blah, blah. I guess it could be identified as the classic-lower-middle-class-malaise that so many single people in their late twenties and early thirties find themselves in from time to time. Still, that doesn’t make me feel any better.
A few days ago when I joked with a friend about this feeling she told me that life wasn’t a race. After thinking about it for a bit, I have to say, no it is. Although I’m no longer measuring myself against others I am measuring myself against the passage of time.
For example, next year I’ll officially be on the downside of my thirties, which puts me at approximately halfway through the average man’s life span of 72. With my military stint and my struggle though college I began saving and investing late. Now my retirement and my investments are hemorrhaging funds, finances are so tight my savings has nearly vanished and I don’t want to attempt (I stress that in this economy) to leave a job I am still using for experience for a job that pays better. Because of this, I worry this financial instability will keep me in economic limbo and the stresses that accompany it for the rest of my life.
Damn, sometimes life is a bitch.
Here is some giggity: http://www.keyetv.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=21056@keye.dayport.com&navCatId=24
Giant Balls!!!
Monday, October 20, 2008
super-fabulistic-doublelicious-triple time-mega-fine
Okay, let’s veer a bit from politics and my warped sense of the world.
In my net surfing I came across a so called controversy about pictures of Venus Williams water surfing. Seems that some people out there are being a bit critical about her…shall we say…proportions.
ARE THEY FREAKING NUTS?!?!?! I have one word about these controversial photos: SUPER-FABULISTIC-DOUBLELICIOUS-TRIPLE TIME-MEGA-FINE!!!!!
And here is some giggity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xH0xorgUoI
I dare you to not laugh.
In my net surfing I came across a so called controversy about pictures of Venus Williams water surfing. Seems that some people out there are being a bit critical about her…shall we say…proportions.
ARE THEY FREAKING NUTS?!?!?! I have one word about these controversial photos: SUPER-FABULISTIC-DOUBLELICIOUS-TRIPLE TIME-MEGA-FINE!!!!!
And here is some giggity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xH0xorgUoI
I dare you to not laugh.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Bizarro World
Sorry I haven’t updated in a while. With the roommate out, helping the parents and being a lazy ass it can get a little hectic.
So at a recent McCain campaign rally the crowd became so worked up when the Senator mentioned Obama they started yelling “traitor” and “terrorist.” McCain did the decent thing and condemned such talk but holy shit! People are losing their freaking minds.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen people lose their heads like they have during the run-up to this election. I’ve seen and heard so many hypocritical, ridiculous and insane things I’m starting to wonder if I’ve stepped into some sort of Bizarro world.
Below are just a few examples of what I’m talking about:
NPR had an old lady on the other day who said she was a life long Democrat who has never considered herself racist, but she’s not sure she’s going to vote Democrat this time because Obama would put “his people” first.
And who can forget the Republicans who’ve lambasted Obama for not having enough experience and then embracing Palin.
Or the Republicans who’ve lambasted Obama for not having enough experience even though they voted George W. Bush into office.
Then there was the female Democrats who are so upset about Clinton not being named the Democratic candidate they're voting for the McCain/Palin ticket.
We also have the evangelical females who believe a woman’s place is in the home caring for children but are championing Palin.
And there are the masses at MCain campaign events booing government regulation, when McCain says that deregulation is partly to blame for the country’s housing crisis and subsequent economic downturn.
There are also the Hilary Clinton critics who told her to stop whining about her media coverage but are sick of the liberal media’s coverage of Governor Sarah Palin. On the same page, we can’t forget the Palin critics telling her to stop crying about the media coverage when they cried about the coverage of Clinton .
We also have all the crazy things each candidate has said, like John McCain saying the economy is “fundamentally sound” and Obama saying the surge of troops in Iraq is not working. (Again I would highly recommend that everyone research the truth in each candidate’s words by hitting up PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org.)
Still, I think the oddest thing I’ve seen is the independently produced Hilary Clinton campaign video: Hilary for You and Me. This, in my opinion, is why she was not chosen as the Democratic candidate. Through no fault of her own, I believe this video actually will cause people who see her in the street to run up and punch her in the face.
The video above is enough giggity for today.
So at a recent McCain campaign rally the crowd became so worked up when the Senator mentioned Obama they started yelling “traitor” and “terrorist.” McCain did the decent thing and condemned such talk but holy shit! People are losing their freaking minds.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen people lose their heads like they have during the run-up to this election. I’ve seen and heard so many hypocritical, ridiculous and insane things I’m starting to wonder if I’ve stepped into some sort of Bizarro world.
Below are just a few examples of what I’m talking about:
NPR had an old lady on the other day who said she was a life long Democrat who has never considered herself racist, but she’s not sure she’s going to vote Democrat this time because Obama would put “his people” first.
And who can forget the Republicans who’ve lambasted Obama for not having enough experience and then embracing Palin.
Or the Republicans who’ve lambasted Obama for not having enough experience even though they voted George W. Bush into office.
Then there was the female Democrats who are so upset about Clinton not being named the Democratic candidate they're voting for the McCain/Palin ticket.
We also have the evangelical females who believe a woman’s place is in the home caring for children but are championing Palin.
And there are the masses at MCain campaign events booing government regulation, when McCain says that deregulation is partly to blame for the country’s housing crisis and subsequent economic downturn.
There are also the Hilary Clinton critics who told her to stop whining about her media coverage but are sick of the liberal media’s coverage of Governor Sarah Palin. On the same page, we can’t forget the Palin critics telling her to stop crying about the media coverage when they cried about the coverage of Clinton .
We also have all the crazy things each candidate has said, like John McCain saying the economy is “fundamentally sound” and Obama saying the surge of troops in Iraq is not working. (Again I would highly recommend that everyone research the truth in each candidate’s words by hitting up PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org.)
Still, I think the oddest thing I’ve seen is the independently produced Hilary Clinton campaign video: Hilary for You and Me. This, in my opinion, is why she was not chosen as the Democratic candidate. Through no fault of her own, I believe this video actually will cause people who see her in the street to run up and punch her in the face.
The video above is enough giggity for today.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Room for Rent
I’ve evicted my roommate for her failure to pay rent on time so I am again looking to rent out a room.
If you know a responsible, relatively clean and stable person who might be interested please pass this along to them.
The room is located in a 2 bedroom 2 bath Victorian near the corner of 17th and O Street. It’s a prime location within walking distance of numerous restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Safeway is 4 blocks away. The light rail 3 blocks and with a bike you can get to Downtown Plaza in 10 minutes.
There is a garage, a storage area, a backyard, a large porch, a washer and dryer and a dishwasher.
The total rent is $1250 + utilities which run around $100. I’m renting out the smaller of the two bedrooms with its full bath and a walk-in closet for $550 plus half of the utilities.
Garages downtown go for about $65 to $100 a month so if the renter has any interest in parking their car in the garage we can work something out.
The room will be available October 15.
If you know a responsible, relatively clean and stable person who might be interested please pass this along to them.
The room is located in a 2 bedroom 2 bath Victorian near the corner of 17th and O Street. It’s a prime location within walking distance of numerous restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Safeway is 4 blocks away. The light rail 3 blocks and with a bike you can get to Downtown Plaza in 10 minutes.
There is a garage, a storage area, a backyard, a large porch, a washer and dryer and a dishwasher.
The total rent is $1250 + utilities which run around $100. I’m renting out the smaller of the two bedrooms with its full bath and a walk-in closet for $550 plus half of the utilities.
Garages downtown go for about $65 to $100 a month so if the renter has any interest in parking their car in the garage we can work something out.
The room will be available October 15.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Faith in the will of God
So I read an interesting article in the LA Times today. The gist of it was that Evangelical Christians are battling over whether it’s appropriate for Governor Sarah Palin to be a politician, specifically vice-president. It is their belief that women should be subservient to men (i.e. the household and children are considered their realm), and they base this belief off their faith in the bible.
I try to base my beliefs on logic and experience so it’s hard for me to believe that others are content to live by “faith,” a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. However, what’s even harder for me to believe is when the “faithful” buck their belief to get something they want.
“"It's probably presumptuous of us to figure out how she is going to balance all of this," said Pat Ennis, a Placerita congregant who heads the home economics department at The Master's College, a Christian institution in Santa Clarita. "The most important thing is that she can do it in God's strength."”
What? So as long as it can be done in God’s strength it’s okay?
I just finished “Escape,” a book written by and about Carolyn Jessop, a woman who grew up in the fundamentalist Mormon cult now associated with the Yearning For Zion polygamist compound and its psychotic leader Warren Jeffs. The men who ran this group continually used the same argument to justify the transgressions they made against the very religion they based their entire life around.
“Umm, do I have a TV? I guess I do. It must be the will of God.”
“Did I just drink a beer? Well, yes I did. It must be the will of God.”
“Sorry your son is sick, but I can’t allow you to take him to the hospital, because his sickness is God punishing you for not pleasing me.”“Whoops, I just married three 14-year-old girls. It must be the will of God.”
Reading this book really pissed me off. I guess I shouldn’t take it out on Fundamentalist Christian Southern California women, but I see the same ridiculousness in their actions that I saw in the world of the FLDS. Sure, the FLDS and Jeffs were abusive, torturous and just plain evil but it’s only a hop, skip and a jump to get to the same place when you live your life based on faith and the threat of burning in hell.
I’m too pissed off to have a smile, feel good clickity today so enjoy looking at my big fat belly: http://picasaweb.google.com/mark.p.henry/09MatherMudRun092708?authkey=FDr2fWIQaj8#
I try to base my beliefs on logic and experience so it’s hard for me to believe that others are content to live by “faith,” a belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. However, what’s even harder for me to believe is when the “faithful” buck their belief to get something they want.
“"It's probably presumptuous of us to figure out how she is going to balance all of this," said Pat Ennis, a Placerita congregant who heads the home economics department at The Master's College, a Christian institution in Santa Clarita. "The most important thing is that she can do it in God's strength."”
What? So as long as it can be done in God’s strength it’s okay?
I just finished “Escape,” a book written by and about Carolyn Jessop, a woman who grew up in the fundamentalist Mormon cult now associated with the Yearning For Zion polygamist compound and its psychotic leader Warren Jeffs. The men who ran this group continually used the same argument to justify the transgressions they made against the very religion they based their entire life around.
“Umm, do I have a TV? I guess I do. It must be the will of God.”
“Did I just drink a beer? Well, yes I did. It must be the will of God.”
“Sorry your son is sick, but I can’t allow you to take him to the hospital, because his sickness is God punishing you for not pleasing me.”“Whoops, I just married three 14-year-old girls. It must be the will of God.”
Reading this book really pissed me off. I guess I shouldn’t take it out on Fundamentalist Christian Southern California women, but I see the same ridiculousness in their actions that I saw in the world of the FLDS. Sure, the FLDS and Jeffs were abusive, torturous and just plain evil but it’s only a hop, skip and a jump to get to the same place when you live your life based on faith and the threat of burning in hell.
I’m too pissed off to have a smile, feel good clickity today so enjoy looking at my big fat belly: http://picasaweb.google.com/mark.p.henry/09MatherMudRun092708?authkey=FDr2fWIQaj8#
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
$700 billion!!!!!
Been awhile since I updated, so here goes:
Went to a big beer festival last weekend , just gave my roommate a 30 day notice, shampooed by carpet and almost have a 70 Draenei Warrior in World of Warcraft.
More important than me though, if you can believe it, is the state of the country’s economy. I won’t pretend that I understand all that’s going on, actually I’m not sure anyone does, but I do know that it involves a $700 billion plan to bail out a few private banks and investment companies. Let me repeat that, $700 billion! Oh, and let me add, the money is yours and mine. Yes, it’s taxpayer dollars.
Some are saying that without the bail out plan the US is doomed, but is it really. The $700 billion will pretty much be used to buy up bad mortgages and loans that no one will buy. Will that change? Will they buy them when they are held by the government, a government that is already $9.7 trillion, yes trillion, in debt? This totally reminds me of the lipstick on a pig thing! It’s still junk, people!
What happens if we let these troubled banks and investment companies fail? I really don’t know. All that I can find when I ask this question is doom and gloom, but there must be someone out there who thinks differently, but I’ll be damned if I can find them. Both Republicans and Democrats are saying the bailout is necessary, with certain caveats, but they are still saying it’s necessary.
Is it?
Now I’m depressed but here is some clicky to make us happy: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/36d31abcf2
Poor Will
Went to a big beer festival last weekend , just gave my roommate a 30 day notice, shampooed by carpet and almost have a 70 Draenei Warrior in World of Warcraft.
More important than me though, if you can believe it, is the state of the country’s economy. I won’t pretend that I understand all that’s going on, actually I’m not sure anyone does, but I do know that it involves a $700 billion plan to bail out a few private banks and investment companies. Let me repeat that, $700 billion! Oh, and let me add, the money is yours and mine. Yes, it’s taxpayer dollars.
Some are saying that without the bail out plan the US is doomed, but is it really. The $700 billion will pretty much be used to buy up bad mortgages and loans that no one will buy. Will that change? Will they buy them when they are held by the government, a government that is already $9.7 trillion, yes trillion, in debt? This totally reminds me of the lipstick on a pig thing! It’s still junk, people!
What happens if we let these troubled banks and investment companies fail? I really don’t know. All that I can find when I ask this question is doom and gloom, but there must be someone out there who thinks differently, but I’ll be damned if I can find them. Both Republicans and Democrats are saying the bailout is necessary, with certain caveats, but they are still saying it’s necessary.
Is it?
Now I’m depressed but here is some clicky to make us happy: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/36d31abcf2
Poor Will
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The Breather: Part Duex
Heavy…no, very heavy breathing…strike two.
I’m not sure if The Breather currently smokes, smoked in the past, has emphysema, one lung or perhaps no lungs but he is the loudest breather I have ever heard in my entire life. It’s so loud that I can be running on the treadmill on the other side of the room with my headphones on and I can still hear each thunderous breath. It’s really hard to quantify but try the following and it will give an idea of what I’m talking about.
Find some free pornography on the Internet or load up your own secret stash you hedonist, turn your sound down to zero and begin counting alligator style: one alligator, two alligator, three alligator, four alligator and continue as such. Now on every even “alligator” turn your speaker sound up to about 6. Also, on every twentieth “alligator” skip the porn and let out a lung clearing hack of a cough at a decibel level approximately twice as loud as the porn playing in the background. You now are experiencing a bit of The Breather. But wait, that isn’t all.
Ghost walking…strike three.
The Breather starts his work out with a walk of about 2 minutes or so. He will then ramp up the treadmill so he is running between an 8 and 9 minute mile. The problem with this is that he can’t run an 8 to 9 minute mile. To cover this oversight in his exercise routine he runs a special way…a very special way. Every 45 seconds or so The Breather will pick himself up using the safety bars on the side of the treadmill so that he is barely touching the running surface that is blazing away underneath him. While doing this he will continue to do what I call ghost running: running in the air at a slower pace than the treadmill is actually going. He’ll ghost run for about 10 seconds and then allow himself to crash back down onto the treadmill making another horrendously loud and annoying noise.
This exercise routine seems to affect The Breather for sometime afterwards. The following is no horseshit, one day he was already at the gym when I arrived. I got as far away from him as I could and did my 30 minutes of cardio. I then headed into the locker room to change my shirt before doing my strength training when what do my poor ears hear but someone in the shower hacking like they’re trying to expel their stomach. It was The Breather.
Today’s Clicker: http://www.orangebeach.ws/2008/News/2008-09-15-Hurricane_Ike_reveals_Mystery_Civil_War_Ship.html
This is so cool!!
I’m not sure if The Breather currently smokes, smoked in the past, has emphysema, one lung or perhaps no lungs but he is the loudest breather I have ever heard in my entire life. It’s so loud that I can be running on the treadmill on the other side of the room with my headphones on and I can still hear each thunderous breath. It’s really hard to quantify but try the following and it will give an idea of what I’m talking about.
Find some free pornography on the Internet or load up your own secret stash you hedonist, turn your sound down to zero and begin counting alligator style: one alligator, two alligator, three alligator, four alligator and continue as such. Now on every even “alligator” turn your speaker sound up to about 6. Also, on every twentieth “alligator” skip the porn and let out a lung clearing hack of a cough at a decibel level approximately twice as loud as the porn playing in the background. You now are experiencing a bit of The Breather. But wait, that isn’t all.
Ghost walking…strike three.
The Breather starts his work out with a walk of about 2 minutes or so. He will then ramp up the treadmill so he is running between an 8 and 9 minute mile. The problem with this is that he can’t run an 8 to 9 minute mile. To cover this oversight in his exercise routine he runs a special way…a very special way. Every 45 seconds or so The Breather will pick himself up using the safety bars on the side of the treadmill so that he is barely touching the running surface that is blazing away underneath him. While doing this he will continue to do what I call ghost running: running in the air at a slower pace than the treadmill is actually going. He’ll ghost run for about 10 seconds and then allow himself to crash back down onto the treadmill making another horrendously loud and annoying noise.
This exercise routine seems to affect The Breather for sometime afterwards. The following is no horseshit, one day he was already at the gym when I arrived. I got as far away from him as I could and did my 30 minutes of cardio. I then headed into the locker room to change my shirt before doing my strength training when what do my poor ears hear but someone in the shower hacking like they’re trying to expel their stomach. It was The Breather.
Today’s Clicker: http://www.orangebeach.ws/2008/News/2008-09-15-Hurricane_Ike_reveals_Mystery_Civil_War_Ship.html
This is so cool!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
The Breather
So a few posts ago I went off about everyone getting healthy by heading to the gym and eating less. Well, I take it back. Please eat as little as you want but I’ve realized that not everyone should be allowed in the gym. Actually some people should only be allowed to exercise in an open field several miles away from any civilization. Case in point, “The Breather” who works out at the same YMCA I do.
The Breather is a middle-aged white guy approximately 5’10” and weighing in between 210 to 230 lbs. He’s a hairy fellow (not Robin Williams hairy but hairy enough that it’s hard not to notice) whose choice of exercise attire consists of a tight black tank-top, a pair of old white trainers and black bicycle shorts.
Bicycle shorts…strike one.
No man should ever wear bicycle shorts, or really any other type of skintight outfit, out in public for any reason. What about professional bicyclists, swimmers, divers and weight lifters you’re asking. I repeat, no man should ever wear any type of skintight outfit out in public for any reason. Listen, I can swim, lift weights, sprint, dive and ride a bike in good old regular athletic shorts. When I wrestled in high school I wore a singlet but in practice I wore shorts and a shirt and I still wrestled as well…or as bad as I did in the singlet. It’s a scientific fact that Bicycle shorts and other skintight apparel are bad for men and they make those around you uncomfortable.
The Breather likes to run on the treadmill. Now, it seems to me that running on the treadmill should be the exercise that is least annoying to other gym patrons. You just turn on the machine and there you go. There should be no shouting, grunting, groaning or touching of another gym patron and the area where you might actually leave a few drops of sweat is pretty limited. Apparently, the Breather would disagree.
To be continued….
Click here: http://www.ehow.com/
How do I do that?
So a few posts ago I went off about everyone getting healthy by heading to the gym and eating less. Well, I take it back. Please eat as little as you want but I’ve realized that not everyone should be allowed in the gym. Actually some people should only be allowed to exercise in an open field several miles away from any civilization. Case in point, “The Breather” who works out at the same YMCA I do.
The Breather is a middle-aged white guy approximately 5’10” and weighing in between 210 to 230 lbs. He’s a hairy fellow (not Robin Williams hairy but hairy enough that it’s hard not to notice) whose choice of exercise attire consists of a tight black tank-top, a pair of old white trainers and black bicycle shorts.
Bicycle shorts…strike one.
No man should ever wear bicycle shorts, or really any other type of skintight outfit, out in public for any reason. What about professional bicyclists, swimmers, divers and weight lifters you’re asking. I repeat, no man should ever wear any type of skintight outfit out in public for any reason. Listen, I can swim, lift weights, sprint, dive and ride a bike in good old regular athletic shorts. When I wrestled in high school I wore a singlet but in practice I wore shorts and a shirt and I still wrestled as well…or as bad as I did in the singlet. It’s a scientific fact that Bicycle shorts and other skintight apparel are bad for men and they make those around you uncomfortable.
The Breather likes to run on the treadmill. Now, it seems to me that running on the treadmill should be the exercise that is least annoying to other gym patrons. You just turn on the machine and there you go. There should be no shouting, grunting, groaning or touching of another gym patron and the area where you might actually leave a few drops of sweat is pretty limited. Apparently, the Breather would disagree.
To be continued….
Click here: http://www.ehow.com/
How do I do that?
Friday, September 12, 2008
So I tried a new recipe the other day, a Vegetable Bake.
I found it in the flyer for our local foods co-op and it sounded rather tasty. It is, but I have a problem with the preparation, not so much the act of preparation but the time entailed for preparation.
The recipe states that the dish has a prep time of 20 minutes. Not bad right? But, how can someone who isn’t a professional chef working with an assistant prepare the below in 20 minutes?
Wash and slice three summer squash, one bunch of parsley, a tomato and a bell pepper
Rinse a cup of brown rice
Peel and slice an onion
Grease a pan
Shred two cups of provolone cheese
Open a can of tomato paste
Crack two eggs
Open a container of cottage cheese
Measure out 1 TBS each of thyme, oregano and basil
Sauté the veggies and mix in the tomato paste
Cook the rice
Mix the eggs, cheese and parsley
Mix everything together and mush it into the pan
This, ladies and gentlemen, was a lot of work. Add to the above that I had to rinse and/or wash a knife, cutting board, two large bowls, a small bowl, a cheese grater, a wooden spoon, a spatula and a frying pan numerous times during the “20 minute” preparation.
I’m thinking the whole preparation process took me at least 45 minutes. It could just be that I’m a dumb@ass, it’s been suggested before. But, I’m guessing I’m a pretty standard case here.
So tell me, is 20 minutes enough time or is the professional chef who came up with this recipe just another in the long line of “experts” attempting to make me feel bad about myself?
Linker: http://www.factcheck.org/
Is Obama telling the truth? Did Palin really pose in a bikini while weilding an AK-47? Find out here.
I found it in the flyer for our local foods co-op and it sounded rather tasty. It is, but I have a problem with the preparation, not so much the act of preparation but the time entailed for preparation.
The recipe states that the dish has a prep time of 20 minutes. Not bad right? But, how can someone who isn’t a professional chef working with an assistant prepare the below in 20 minutes?
Wash and slice three summer squash, one bunch of parsley, a tomato and a bell pepper
Rinse a cup of brown rice
Peel and slice an onion
Grease a pan
Shred two cups of provolone cheese
Open a can of tomato paste
Crack two eggs
Open a container of cottage cheese
Measure out 1 TBS each of thyme, oregano and basil
Sauté the veggies and mix in the tomato paste
Cook the rice
Mix the eggs, cheese and parsley
Mix everything together and mush it into the pan
This, ladies and gentlemen, was a lot of work. Add to the above that I had to rinse and/or wash a knife, cutting board, two large bowls, a small bowl, a cheese grater, a wooden spoon, a spatula and a frying pan numerous times during the “20 minute” preparation.
I’m thinking the whole preparation process took me at least 45 minutes. It could just be that I’m a dumb@ass, it’s been suggested before. But, I’m guessing I’m a pretty standard case here.
So tell me, is 20 minutes enough time or is the professional chef who came up with this recipe just another in the long line of “experts” attempting to make me feel bad about myself?
Linker: http://www.factcheck.org/
Is Obama telling the truth? Did Palin really pose in a bikini while weilding an AK-47? Find out here.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
E=mcEXCITING
E=mc2 by David Bodanis: Who would have thought that I would find a book about a scientific equation so interesting? However, I must admit that not only was it interesting but it was very exciting. Yes, a book about the world’s most famous equation is exciting!!!
Picture a small military raid, attempting to blow up a well guarded German military factory. A factory that is the only thing keeping the Germans in the race to build a nuclear bomb! Under the cover of night they ascend a cliff away from the searchlights and clip through the barbed wire fence surrounding the installation. They find and entrance and then once inside realize they are in no way carrying enough explosives to level the joint. What do they do? Do they succeed or are they tortured and killed like the group of soldiers that were sent before them? See, I told you it was exciting.
Sure, most of the book isn’t military raids. It is instead filled with interesting and enjoyable brief histories of smart people who in some way had a hand in Einstein’s equation. The stories they tell begin with the quantification of what motion is and continue on through gravity, mass, the speed of light and they finally end at the dreaded bomb.
Bodanis does a great job expelling science in language that even I can understand and he does a good job doing it. Anyone who likes science served up with a healthy dose of history and just a bit of adventure will enjoy this book.
Currently reading: Escape by Carolyn Jessop
She escaped from the FLDS where she married a 50-year-old at the age of 18 who had a couple wives and a whole bus full of kids, literally. Scary, very scary. Why would anyone in their right mind want to have more than one wife? And 34 children? Come on!
Link of the day: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/top-10-amazing.html
She blinded me with science!!!
Picture a small military raid, attempting to blow up a well guarded German military factory. A factory that is the only thing keeping the Germans in the race to build a nuclear bomb! Under the cover of night they ascend a cliff away from the searchlights and clip through the barbed wire fence surrounding the installation. They find and entrance and then once inside realize they are in no way carrying enough explosives to level the joint. What do they do? Do they succeed or are they tortured and killed like the group of soldiers that were sent before them? See, I told you it was exciting.
Sure, most of the book isn’t military raids. It is instead filled with interesting and enjoyable brief histories of smart people who in some way had a hand in Einstein’s equation. The stories they tell begin with the quantification of what motion is and continue on through gravity, mass, the speed of light and they finally end at the dreaded bomb.
Bodanis does a great job expelling science in language that even I can understand and he does a good job doing it. Anyone who likes science served up with a healthy dose of history and just a bit of adventure will enjoy this book.
Currently reading: Escape by Carolyn Jessop
She escaped from the FLDS where she married a 50-year-old at the age of 18 who had a couple wives and a whole bus full of kids, literally. Scary, very scary. Why would anyone in their right mind want to have more than one wife? And 34 children? Come on!
Link of the day: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/09/top-10-amazing.html
She blinded me with science!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
My addiction
I haven’t forgotten to blog.
Instead I was an idiot and let my prescription for the medication I have lapse and I haven’t taken it for a few days. Now I’m going through withdrawal symptoms. These, unfortunately are making it nearly impossible to write.
I’m hoping I can score some pills today so I should be back in business tomorrow.
Things going on:
Finished E=mc2
Started Escape, the story of a woman who left a polygamous marriage in the FLDS
Shampooed the front room so I may actually be able to have people over again.
Instead I was an idiot and let my prescription for the medication I have lapse and I haven’t taken it for a few days. Now I’m going through withdrawal symptoms. These, unfortunately are making it nearly impossible to write.
I’m hoping I can score some pills today so I should be back in business tomorrow.
Things going on:
Finished E=mc2
Started Escape, the story of a woman who left a polygamous marriage in the FLDS
Shampooed the front room so I may actually be able to have people over again.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
The Mother of All Hockey Moms
Whoa! I listened to the Republican National Convention last night and I must say it scared me. Giuliani and Palin were out for blood and let nothing, including the truth get in the way of them thrashing their opponents and praising John McCain.
Now I don’t expect anything really important to be said at a convention, they’re mostly for rallying the troops, but I do expect them to be somewhat civil. Giuliani and Palin didn’t even come close. Baseless and hypocritical attacks that verge on the irresponsible are what I expect to read on poorly written blogs, not hear from a politician who wants to be vice-president.
Still the old white people in attendance really seemed to eat it up….which again scares me. The rising culture of mean spirited criticism that has risen with the anonymity of the Internet is not something I expect to be applauded at a political convention, unless of course that political convention is made up of barbarians or perhaps zombies. Then it would be okay.
What has pissed me off most during the RNC has been the calls by conservative politicians and pundits to “lay off” Palin and her family. Giuliani pinpointed what I’m talking about last night when he said, “how dare THEY question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president?” (I guess by “they” he is refereeing to bloggers because I have yet to hear a Democratic politician say anything resembling a snipe at Palin and her ability to mother.)
Listen guys, if I was to run around calling myself Will the Soccer Guy while always wearing shin guards, cleats and goalie gloves don’t you think people would begin asking questions about my soccer skills? These would be legitimate questions, just like the questions that might be asked about someone who champions herself as a “hockey mom,” continuously talks about her children and always puts them center stage.
Now, if I applied for a job to sell men’s suits I would expect the interviewer to ask me how much I knew about men’s suits including where they’re made, fit, quality, fabric and types of stitching. This would make sense, the same way it would make sense to question someone wanting to be vice-president about their foreign policy experience, their dealings with lobbyists and if they have ever used past positions for private reasons.
Turning away from the convention but not Mrs. Palin, I was asked if I did in fact think she was a good mother. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure, but from my point of view all signs point to no.
Now, I’m not sure of what to think about her returning to work 3 days after the birth of her youngest son. It sounds a little rushed and emotionally cold but that’s really hard for me to judge since I have never been a pregnant working mother. I’m also not sure of what to think about her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant. My questions around that would concern what, if anything, Palin told her daughter about sex and why her daughter didn’t listen. Still teens will be teens, but for better or for worse their actions do reflect on their parents.
Those issues aside, what leads me to guess that she’s probably not the best mother figure, is that she made her daughter the face of teen pregnancy for the entire country. Her daughter, Bristol , is now the butt of jokes, the subject of tabloids and the cause of town hall meetings. She’ll have to deal with what most people deal with in private on the public stage on which her mother knowingly put her. How did she feel when she read about her soon to be husband’s MySpace page that never mentions her and states that he doesn’t want kids? Will she think the Saturday Night Live skit about her is funny? What about the YouTube videos that are bound to lambast her? It really seems that Palin put herself before her daughter and that doesn’t read right in my book.
Random Web site: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bobcats5-2008sep05,0,2286826.story
Bobcats move in!
I couldn't resist giving a double post with more Palin goodness:
http://disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/8143/Daily_Show_on_Republican_hypocrisy/
Now I don’t expect anything really important to be said at a convention, they’re mostly for rallying the troops, but I do expect them to be somewhat civil. Giuliani and Palin didn’t even come close. Baseless and hypocritical attacks that verge on the irresponsible are what I expect to read on poorly written blogs, not hear from a politician who wants to be vice-president.
Still the old white people in attendance really seemed to eat it up….which again scares me. The rising culture of mean spirited criticism that has risen with the anonymity of the Internet is not something I expect to be applauded at a political convention, unless of course that political convention is made up of barbarians or perhaps zombies. Then it would be okay.
What has pissed me off most during the RNC has been the calls by conservative politicians and pundits to “lay off” Palin and her family. Giuliani pinpointed what I’m talking about last night when he said, “how dare THEY question whether Palin will have enough time to spend with her children while vice president?” (I guess by “they” he is refereeing to bloggers because I have yet to hear a Democratic politician say anything resembling a snipe at Palin and her ability to mother.)
Listen guys, if I was to run around calling myself Will the Soccer Guy while always wearing shin guards, cleats and goalie gloves don’t you think people would begin asking questions about my soccer skills? These would be legitimate questions, just like the questions that might be asked about someone who champions herself as a “hockey mom,” continuously talks about her children and always puts them center stage.
Now, if I applied for a job to sell men’s suits I would expect the interviewer to ask me how much I knew about men’s suits including where they’re made, fit, quality, fabric and types of stitching. This would make sense, the same way it would make sense to question someone wanting to be vice-president about their foreign policy experience, their dealings with lobbyists and if they have ever used past positions for private reasons.
Turning away from the convention but not Mrs. Palin, I was asked if I did in fact think she was a good mother. Of course I have no way of knowing for sure, but from my point of view all signs point to no.
Now, I’m not sure of what to think about her returning to work 3 days after the birth of her youngest son. It sounds a little rushed and emotionally cold but that’s really hard for me to judge since I have never been a pregnant working mother. I’m also not sure of what to think about her 17-year-old daughter being pregnant. My questions around that would concern what, if anything, Palin told her daughter about sex and why her daughter didn’t listen. Still teens will be teens, but for better or for worse their actions do reflect on their parents.
Those issues aside, what leads me to guess that she’s probably not the best mother figure, is that she made her daughter the face of teen pregnancy for the entire country. Her daughter, Bristol , is now the butt of jokes, the subject of tabloids and the cause of town hall meetings. She’ll have to deal with what most people deal with in private on the public stage on which her mother knowingly put her. How did she feel when she read about her soon to be husband’s MySpace page that never mentions her and states that he doesn’t want kids? Will she think the Saturday Night Live skit about her is funny? What about the YouTube videos that are bound to lambast her? It really seems that Palin put herself before her daughter and that doesn’t read right in my book.
Random Web site: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bobcats5-2008sep05,0,2286826.story
Bobcats move in!
I couldn't resist giving a double post with more Palin goodness:
http://disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/8143/Daily_Show_on_Republican_hypocrisy/
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Ohhh Baby!
This presidential election just gets better and better. Monday it was announced that vice-presidential nominee and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter, Bristol , is five months pregnant.
Whoa! I didn’t see that coming, but honestly I’m not interested in the actual pregnancy, but more in the reaction to it by both sides.
Liberal bloggers were on the attack early, actually suggesting that Palin’s youngest son, Trig, is really Bristol ’s baby. Not the nicest thing to suggest, actually it’s quite despicable, but democrat/liberal mainstream talking heads pretty much ignored the rumors. With the truth that the 17-year-old daughter is knocked up it’s remained pretty much the same. Most aren’t slamming Palin or her daughter but are more interested in how conservatives/Republicans are reacting to the announcement.
And boy have they reacted, not with anger but with great happiness!?!? Yes, they are ecstatic! Republican politicians, pundits and convention goers see nothing wrong with Palin being a “family values” conservative who doesn’t want anything to do with explicit sex education programs even while Bristol is next door knocking boots with an 18-year-old Alaskan “redneck.” They’ve praised Palin, her daughter and the entire family for keeping the baby and rejoiced at the news that the two teens would marry in the very near future. One convention attendee was almost in tears as she described how this humanized Palin and plenty were disgusted by the media making the story a big deal.
(I still question whether this is really happening. All the media I have heard have been more interested in how this news was hitting the conservative electorate than in why Palin’s underage daughter was pregnant, but anyway…)
What’s struck me, is the shear hypocrisy of the whole business. “Personal lives are off limits” they say but Michelle Obama is scrutinized for not being the perfect wife, Slick Willy Clinton is impeached for his sexual shenanigans in the oval office and rumors are launched by Karl Rove and the Bush campaign during the 2000 election about Cindy McCain being a drug addict and her husband fathering a “BLACK” child.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not just Republicans, Democrats are just as bad (although these things tend to hit Republicans much harder because they style themselves as the god-fearing, family values, personal responsibility, moral judges of the country).
So what is it guys, can I make personal attacks against my political rivals or not?
All the politics aside, I hope that the issue of teen pregnancy doesn’t get lost in the miasma of patriotic rhetoric. Teen pregnancy is a serious problem with massive consequences for the country. It’s one of the main causes of poverty and results in lower education levels and quality of life for both the mother and her child. With the issue currently on the main stage, the country has an excellent opportunity to expose it to the public and to actually explore the larger issue of sex education, contraceptives offered in schools and teen motherhood in general.
Clickability: http://gralienreport.com/ufos/ufo-video-sky-squid-filmed-by-discovery-channel-crew/
Sky Squid!!!
Whoa! I didn’t see that coming, but honestly I’m not interested in the actual pregnancy, but more in the reaction to it by both sides.
Liberal bloggers were on the attack early, actually suggesting that Palin’s youngest son, Trig, is really Bristol ’s baby. Not the nicest thing to suggest, actually it’s quite despicable, but democrat/liberal mainstream talking heads pretty much ignored the rumors. With the truth that the 17-year-old daughter is knocked up it’s remained pretty much the same. Most aren’t slamming Palin or her daughter but are more interested in how conservatives/Republicans are reacting to the announcement.
And boy have they reacted, not with anger but with great happiness!?!? Yes, they are ecstatic! Republican politicians, pundits and convention goers see nothing wrong with Palin being a “family values” conservative who doesn’t want anything to do with explicit sex education programs even while Bristol is next door knocking boots with an 18-year-old Alaskan “redneck.” They’ve praised Palin, her daughter and the entire family for keeping the baby and rejoiced at the news that the two teens would marry in the very near future. One convention attendee was almost in tears as she described how this humanized Palin and plenty were disgusted by the media making the story a big deal.
(I still question whether this is really happening. All the media I have heard have been more interested in how this news was hitting the conservative electorate than in why Palin’s underage daughter was pregnant, but anyway…)
What’s struck me, is the shear hypocrisy of the whole business. “Personal lives are off limits” they say but Michelle Obama is scrutinized for not being the perfect wife, Slick Willy Clinton is impeached for his sexual shenanigans in the oval office and rumors are launched by Karl Rove and the Bush campaign during the 2000 election about Cindy McCain being a drug addict and her husband fathering a “BLACK” child.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not just Republicans, Democrats are just as bad (although these things tend to hit Republicans much harder because they style themselves as the god-fearing, family values, personal responsibility, moral judges of the country).
So what is it guys, can I make personal attacks against my political rivals or not?
All the politics aside, I hope that the issue of teen pregnancy doesn’t get lost in the miasma of patriotic rhetoric. Teen pregnancy is a serious problem with massive consequences for the country. It’s one of the main causes of poverty and results in lower education levels and quality of life for both the mother and her child. With the issue currently on the main stage, the country has an excellent opportunity to expose it to the public and to actually explore the larger issue of sex education, contraceptives offered in schools and teen motherhood in general.
Clickability: http://gralienreport.com/ufos/ufo-video-sky-squid-filmed-by-discovery-channel-crew/
Sky Squid!!!
Friday, August 29, 2008
It's so conventional
So the Democratic National Convention is in the bag. Hilary Clinton didn’t raise hell, Biden talked a lot but not so much that he put everyone to sleep and Obama rocked the mic to close the whole shebang Thursday night.
In my opinion the best and most powerful speech was given by disabled Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth. She really stressed Obama’s emotional and political investments with soldiers, sailors and airmen by giving concrete examples of actions the presidential candidate has taken. Not only that, she talked up Obama as strong and right, not only for veterans but for the military.
Hands down, the best line out of any of the speeches was Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s bit about Bush starting on third base and stealing second. Classic!
Overall all I’d say the Democrats did a pretty good job of getting their message across; painting Obama as a common man with excellent judgment and McCain as out of touch, but more importantly as Bush’s little crony. Over and over again, McCain was linked to Bush and his failed policies, which I think is really going to put the heat on McCain during next week’s Republican Convention.
I assume Bush will speak, but I highly doubt he’ll be seen with McCain. However, even having McCain’s name coming out of Bush’s mouth is going to leave a taint. It’s going to be a very interesting and I’m actually looking forward to the Republican convention more than I did the Democratic one.
Linkity goodness: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3981669.stm
Why I voted for Bush, a message board from 2004.
In my opinion the best and most powerful speech was given by disabled Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth. She really stressed Obama’s emotional and political investments with soldiers, sailors and airmen by giving concrete examples of actions the presidential candidate has taken. Not only that, she talked up Obama as strong and right, not only for veterans but for the military.
Hands down, the best line out of any of the speeches was Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s bit about Bush starting on third base and stealing second. Classic!
Overall all I’d say the Democrats did a pretty good job of getting their message across; painting Obama as a common man with excellent judgment and McCain as out of touch, but more importantly as Bush’s little crony. Over and over again, McCain was linked to Bush and his failed policies, which I think is really going to put the heat on McCain during next week’s Republican Convention.
I assume Bush will speak, but I highly doubt he’ll be seen with McCain. However, even having McCain’s name coming out of Bush’s mouth is going to leave a taint. It’s going to be a very interesting and I’m actually looking forward to the Republican convention more than I did the Democratic one.
Linkity goodness: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/3981669.stm
Why I voted for Bush, a message board from 2004.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Books are Hell
Hellboy: Odd Jobs by multiple authors including Michael Golden and Poppie Z. Brite – I wish that these stories held the magic and fascination of Mike Mignola’s comics or of Guillermo Del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army. Instead, you get some pretty rote stories with not much humor, action or horror.
As in nearly every compilation there are a few exceptions. In this book that exception is Stephen Bissette’s Jigsaw. It captures Hellboy’s personality perfectly and draws the reader into an eerie story with its tentacles slithering around the painful topic of addiction. Very good and highly recommended for those that like their Hellboy stories intense and disturbing.
Currently reading: E=mc2 by David Bodanis
Who would have thought that a lowbrow mathematical Neanderthal like myself would find reading about mathematics, physics and theory so interesting.
As in nearly every compilation there are a few exceptions. In this book that exception is Stephen Bissette’s Jigsaw. It captures Hellboy’s personality perfectly and draws the reader into an eerie story with its tentacles slithering around the painful topic of addiction. Very good and highly recommended for those that like their Hellboy stories intense and disturbing.
Currently reading: E=mc2 by David Bodanis
Who would have thought that a lowbrow mathematical Neanderthal like myself would find reading about mathematics, physics and theory so interesting.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I can haz nother cheezburger: Part II
I understand that people aren’t just going to jump up and start eating less and exercising because some wack-job on a little read blog says it’s the right thing to do. I also don’t see many politicians brave enough to “stab the free market in the back” and ban fast food restaurants like recently happened in Los Angeles. However, the government can leave the blessed free market alone and help jumpstart the economy with the old carrot and stick approach.
Consider the plan that Alabama’s State Employee Insurance Board recently approved that will require state employees with a body mass considered overly obese to pay an additional $25 for their health insurance. Surely this is a “stick” approach and as is to be expected, many employees have complained. However, this “stick” could easily be turned into a “carrot” by rewarding employees below the obesity level with a $25 discount.
Another option might be tied to taxes or stimulus payments. With the shape of our economy looking downright anorexic, politicians have been attempting to feed it with stimulus payments and tax breaks. It hasn’t seemed to have helped much but those fighting to be the next president have kept the idea alive and it’s possible Americans will see more money or tax breaks coming down the pipeline. Why not connect a portion of this money/tax breaks to physical fitness in that $100 of it must be used for gym memberships, smoking cessation programs or something similar.
My dream would be for state and local governments to work together to create a system of community centers with gyms, classrooms and athletic fields that could be used for a fee based on a sliding scale of income. Not all of these centers need be brand spanking new facilities. Instead include community colleges, high schools and elementary schools that have the proper facilities and staff them with student trainers overseen by a more experienced certified trainer. Have a nurse and a nutritionist available a few times a week and bring in local farmer’s markets to sell locally grown produce.
Of course this is all a pipedream, but these few ideas I’ve thrown out illustrate that there are many ways to approach America’s obesity epidemic. By offering people easily accessible and cheap options you increase the likelihood that health will begin to take a bigger role in their life thus saving me and the rest of the country money.
Clickity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZEtB_x_bg
Guilty dog
Consider the plan that Alabama’s State Employee Insurance Board recently approved that will require state employees with a body mass considered overly obese to pay an additional $25 for their health insurance. Surely this is a “stick” approach and as is to be expected, many employees have complained. However, this “stick” could easily be turned into a “carrot” by rewarding employees below the obesity level with a $25 discount.
Another option might be tied to taxes or stimulus payments. With the shape of our economy looking downright anorexic, politicians have been attempting to feed it with stimulus payments and tax breaks. It hasn’t seemed to have helped much but those fighting to be the next president have kept the idea alive and it’s possible Americans will see more money or tax breaks coming down the pipeline. Why not connect a portion of this money/tax breaks to physical fitness in that $100 of it must be used for gym memberships, smoking cessation programs or something similar.
My dream would be for state and local governments to work together to create a system of community centers with gyms, classrooms and athletic fields that could be used for a fee based on a sliding scale of income. Not all of these centers need be brand spanking new facilities. Instead include community colleges, high schools and elementary schools that have the proper facilities and staff them with student trainers overseen by a more experienced certified trainer. Have a nurse and a nutritionist available a few times a week and bring in local farmer’s markets to sell locally grown produce.
Of course this is all a pipedream, but these few ideas I’ve thrown out illustrate that there are many ways to approach America’s obesity epidemic. By offering people easily accessible and cheap options you increase the likelihood that health will begin to take a bigger role in their life thus saving me and the rest of the country money.
Clickity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZEtB_x_bg
Guilty dog
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I can haz nother cheezburger: Part I
A new study released this last Tuesday by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reports that adult obesity rates continue growing in 37 states. So unlike other jokes that target nationalities, the one the rest of the world tells about the US being a bunch of fatties is no longer a joke, it’s true.
According to the F as in Fat 2008 report “more than 25 percent of adults are obese in 28 states” and nationwide over 16 percent of children are considered obese. Think about that for a second…that’s a lot of people, literally and figuratively! (Booyah! Of course, I kid.)
Now, I’m not an obese person hater. I can’t be because I have friends and family who are more than likely considered obese and I love them….well, most of them. However, this trend still alarms me because it’s costing me money and contributing to the economic decline of our country. More importantly, in 99.9 percent of cases, with a little sweat and personal responsibility, it’s preventable.
Here’s how it all comes together:
- Obesity and being overweight are contributing factors to 20 chronic diseases
- By definition chronic diseases last for a long time. Hence, they require numerous visits with a doctor
- Because of that, more than a quarter of the nations’ health care costs are related to obesity and physical inactivity
- Health insurance and government assistance cover much of the nations’ health care costs
- When insurance companies pay more, they charge their customers more (my premiums and co-pay charges rise) and when more tax dollars head to health care it’s less money for education, technology, aid, etc.
- Obesity can be “cured” with physical activity (which is free) and by eating better (this is complicated and is tied in with government but one thing is for sure, eating less is free)
Although the problem is growing (pun intended) and almost seems insurmountable when you look at the current numbers, I don’t think it’s hopeless. Check back for the next blog update where I’ll suggest some possible solutions.
Now go take a walk.
Linkity: http://www.nicecritic.com/
Send a helpful message to a friend or co-worker.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Reading the books of children
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer – To say this little children’s book is action packed is an understatement. People, fairies, dwarves and trolls crash into one another like contestants in a backwoods county’s demolition derby. There are guns, military squads, bombs, martial arts and a dwarf that farts earth with such force he blows a guy through a wall…yeah, I know it doesn’t make any sense but that’s the only way I can explain it.
This is all fine and good and makes for an enjoyable read, but it would mean so much more if it was written around characters I didn’t hate. In short, all the characters are bastards and I pretty much hoped throughout that most would die horrible deaths. The book almost redeemed itself when a battle between a troll and a sword wielding human built like a tank left the human a broken bloody mess, but more importantly…dead. Of course the author had to go and screw it all up by having some fairy resurrect him or some such nonsense.
More bloody and violent than Harry Potter but not as engaging, this book makes for an enjoyably quick read but I’m not running out to get the rest of the series anytime soon…actually probably never.
Today's linky goodness: http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-utah17-2008aug17
Cry you bastards, cry!
This is all fine and good and makes for an enjoyable read, but it would mean so much more if it was written around characters I didn’t hate. In short, all the characters are bastards and I pretty much hoped throughout that most would die horrible deaths. The book almost redeemed itself when a battle between a troll and a sword wielding human built like a tank left the human a broken bloody mess, but more importantly…dead. Of course the author had to go and screw it all up by having some fairy resurrect him or some such nonsense.
More bloody and violent than Harry Potter but not as engaging, this book makes for an enjoyably quick read but I’m not running out to get the rest of the series anytime soon…actually probably never.
Today's linky goodness: http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-utah17-2008aug17
Cry you bastards, cry!
101 uses for baby stool softener
So I had to pay a quick visit to the doctor’s office yesterday. Nothing serious, I’ve just had water stuck in my ears for the last 9 days. (Actually since it’s probably still in there, today will be day 10.) It seems that jamming Q-Tips into my ears in order to “clean” them has really only succeeded in building an incredibly solid wall of wax. Disgusting I know, and possible painful if the water behind them sits too long and causes an infection.
To remove these walls, I first have to use oil to change them from crusty hard to moist and malleable. My doctor said that normally she’d do this with regular mineral oil, but in my case she decided to go with something a bit stronger. What she used and says works best….get ready for it….baby stool softener.
Yes, baby stool softener was put in my ears and it’s still in there. See, the first round of stool softener and warm water rinse didn’t do the job, so I was sent home with more softener and told to come back on Friday. Now, twice a day I’m using it to loosen the wax in my ears.
I suppose this “cure” goes a long way in proving that I really am a shithead, with shit for brains who needs to clean the shit out of his ears.
On a similar note, with the addition of the baby stool softener the wax seems to be expanding making it so that I can’t hear shit.
No wonder the ladies love me!
To remove these walls, I first have to use oil to change them from crusty hard to moist and malleable. My doctor said that normally she’d do this with regular mineral oil, but in my case she decided to go with something a bit stronger. What she used and says works best….get ready for it….baby stool softener.
Yes, baby stool softener was put in my ears and it’s still in there. See, the first round of stool softener and warm water rinse didn’t do the job, so I was sent home with more softener and told to come back on Friday. Now, twice a day I’m using it to loosen the wax in my ears.
I suppose this “cure” goes a long way in proving that I really am a shithead, with shit for brains who needs to clean the shit out of his ears.
On a similar note, with the addition of the baby stool softener the wax seems to be expanding making it so that I can’t hear shit.
No wonder the ladies love me!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Turned down but not off
So I got turned down again by someone I get along really well with. No problem, as I wasn’t romantically attached but that’s not the end of it because she keeps calling me and inviting me to events. I appreciate that and I always have a great time but I’m betting dollars to doughnuts that when a new guy comes along I’ll be tossed aside like yesterdays ham sandwich. Not that she’d be intentionally cruel mind you. It’s just what happens in male/female friendships, a woman in a romantic relationship with a man cannot have a male for a best friend and vice-versa. Like putting your brain into a robot body, there is just something about it that goes against the natural order.
Now, here’s where the problem arises. The more I invest in our friendship the more disappointment I’ll experience when she does find someone. Does this sound right? Should I do my best to avoid her? Should I just forget about it, have fun now and be disappointed when I’m kicked to the side?
Speaking of relationships or lack thereof, I’ve been focusing way too much on the idea lately. Maybe it’s the news of a past girlfriend’s pregnancy or the whole getting turned down thing, but I’ve been dwelling on my lack of prospects and questioning myself.
My prospects at the moment are jack and shit and jack just left town. It’s not that I’m a shut-in and am just not putting myself out there. I play one sport all year round and another a few months out of the year. I go out with friends at least once a week, work out at a gym and live in downtown Sacramento which is a hot bed of young ladies. Still, the river runs dry and I think the main reason is my age.
At 34, most of my friends and acquaintances are married or in long term relationships, the majority of my co-workers are over 40 and most of the ladies I run into while I’m out and about are under 30.
So I either need to find a married lady who likes to swing, an older lady who likes younger men or young lady who like older guys.
Today's link goodness: http://www.glumbert.com/media/honestrb
Now, here’s where the problem arises. The more I invest in our friendship the more disappointment I’ll experience when she does find someone. Does this sound right? Should I do my best to avoid her? Should I just forget about it, have fun now and be disappointed when I’m kicked to the side?
Speaking of relationships or lack thereof, I’ve been focusing way too much on the idea lately. Maybe it’s the news of a past girlfriend’s pregnancy or the whole getting turned down thing, but I’ve been dwelling on my lack of prospects and questioning myself.
My prospects at the moment are jack and shit and jack just left town. It’s not that I’m a shut-in and am just not putting myself out there. I play one sport all year round and another a few months out of the year. I go out with friends at least once a week, work out at a gym and live in downtown Sacramento which is a hot bed of young ladies. Still, the river runs dry and I think the main reason is my age.
At 34, most of my friends and acquaintances are married or in long term relationships, the majority of my co-workers are over 40 and most of the ladies I run into while I’m out and about are under 30.
So I either need to find a married lady who likes to swing, an older lady who likes younger men or young lady who like older guys.
Today's link goodness: http://www.glumbert.com/media/honestrb
Friday, August 15, 2008
No, not that Georgia
Things are looking pretty grim in Georgia. Russia plowed its way in there and it doesn’t look like they’ll be leaving anytime soon. As I understand it, the ceasefire agreement is signed and it allows Russian troops to occupy some areas of the country indefinitely.
This seems like a pretty risky move. Allowing Russia to stay basically condones its actions and gives it the green light to make other “little” land grabs. History would lead me to believe that this could lead to world War III. I stress the word “could” as I can’t see it happening, but it’s important to remember that both WWI and WWII started with actions in tiny, tiny nations.
That’s not the only thing that bothers me about the whole situation. What does international pressure really mean? You’d think the first actions to be taken would be economic sanctions of some kind, but in our global economy that’s all but impossible. Russia is too large and plays too much of a role in making the world economy run. Besides, the US economy is currently in shambles, so indebted to foreign interests that an embargo on Russia would cripple us even further. So what can we and/or the world do, or should we do anything?
If the majority of opinion in certain parts of Georgia embraces Russian rule, should an outside power try to stop them? I’m not sure how valid a question it is as it essentially negates the entire idea of landownership, countries and nationalities but it is interesting. Might this freedom to take your home and the land it sits on and join another country be the ultimate freedom?
Todays link: http://www.urlesque.com/2008/07/31/depressed-pug-is-hot-as-sh-t-web-star/
If that's not the cutest little guy ever, I'll punch a baby.
This seems like a pretty risky move. Allowing Russia to stay basically condones its actions and gives it the green light to make other “little” land grabs. History would lead me to believe that this could lead to world War III. I stress the word “could” as I can’t see it happening, but it’s important to remember that both WWI and WWII started with actions in tiny, tiny nations.
That’s not the only thing that bothers me about the whole situation. What does international pressure really mean? You’d think the first actions to be taken would be economic sanctions of some kind, but in our global economy that’s all but impossible. Russia is too large and plays too much of a role in making the world economy run. Besides, the US economy is currently in shambles, so indebted to foreign interests that an embargo on Russia would cripple us even further. So what can we and/or the world do, or should we do anything?
If the majority of opinion in certain parts of Georgia embraces Russian rule, should an outside power try to stop them? I’m not sure how valid a question it is as it essentially negates the entire idea of landownership, countries and nationalities but it is interesting. Might this freedom to take your home and the land it sits on and join another country be the ultimate freedom?
Todays link: http://www.urlesque.com/2008/07/31/depressed-pug-is-hot-as-sh-t-web-star/
If that's not the cutest little guy ever, I'll punch a baby.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Quick and so very dirty book review
Boys Will Be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence by Myriam Miedz – This book took me forever to get through. I was totally down for the first couple chapters concerning how boys are conditioned to be violent. It’s interesting and from what I understand pretty ground breaking work for when it was published.
Still, Miedz is very repetitive and covers the same topics in similar words several different times. This makes an otherwise interesting work drag, but it wasn’t this repetition that bothered me most.
Miedz is very adamant that making the changes to US society that would allow us to raise less violent boys must be mandated by government legislation. She continually states that the power of legislation trumps personal responsibility. I believe that she is only partly right. If, as she proposes, school districts are required to have classes thaT teach parenting and/or conflict resolution skills they’re essentially teaching personal responsibility. The two go hand-in-hand and are not mutually exclusive. By having legislation trump responsibility, she creates an unreal expectation that the government would actually work to ban certain types of television shows, toys and sports like she suggests. Anyone with an iota of common sense realizes that a government raised on the free market tit is going to have none of that. They might however agree to fund a conflict resolution class for high school freshmen.
Lastly, Miedz viciously attacks any sport that involves physical contact. She vilifies these sports while totally ignoring any of their positive aspects. Yes, she does lay some of the blame on coaches and a society that champions winning at any cost but instead of focusing on changing that mentality she again asks for legislation.
Her hatred for sports and her focus on legislation often undermine her whole argument because they’re totally unrealistic to our society. Members of our government would be laughed out of office if they suggested banning high school football or toy guns. Skip this and read Susan Faludi’s Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man. It’s much more timely, better written and will allow you to come up with your own ideas on how we can raise less violent boys.
Still, Miedz is very repetitive and covers the same topics in similar words several different times. This makes an otherwise interesting work drag, but it wasn’t this repetition that bothered me most.
Miedz is very adamant that making the changes to US society that would allow us to raise less violent boys must be mandated by government legislation. She continually states that the power of legislation trumps personal responsibility. I believe that she is only partly right. If, as she proposes, school districts are required to have classes thaT teach parenting and/or conflict resolution skills they’re essentially teaching personal responsibility. The two go hand-in-hand and are not mutually exclusive. By having legislation trump responsibility, she creates an unreal expectation that the government would actually work to ban certain types of television shows, toys and sports like she suggests. Anyone with an iota of common sense realizes that a government raised on the free market tit is going to have none of that. They might however agree to fund a conflict resolution class for high school freshmen.
Lastly, Miedz viciously attacks any sport that involves physical contact. She vilifies these sports while totally ignoring any of their positive aspects. Yes, she does lay some of the blame on coaches and a society that champions winning at any cost but instead of focusing on changing that mentality she again asks for legislation.
Her hatred for sports and her focus on legislation often undermine her whole argument because they’re totally unrealistic to our society. Members of our government would be laughed out of office if they suggested banning high school football or toy guns. Skip this and read Susan Faludi’s Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man. It’s much more timely, better written and will allow you to come up with your own ideas on how we can raise less violent boys.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
