Sorry I've been absent for so long. Work is piling up, staff is running low, and let's just say that 5 out of 7 nights a week, I wake up at 2-3am with nightmares about Excel spreadsheets.
Trying to relax and stumbled upon an online sweepstakes website with links to lots of contests. I'm just at a point in my life where I don't really care what I win - I just want to be declared a winner.
Here's a contest that offers a second entry by linking to their contest!
Maybe you could be a winner too?
Read more!
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Crisostomo? I Blame Disney.
If you haven't been caught up, there is now a second Elvira Arellano. Her name is Flor Crisostomo, and she is another illegal immigrant from Mexico who was caught, told to surrender herself for deportation, and decided to hole up in a Chicago church claiming "sanctuary" instead of going back to Mexico. She had the choice to give herself up, and she refused - deciding to become a fugitive instead of doing the right thing and going back to the country that accepts her as a citizen.
So here's the big question: Can a church really provide sanctuary to criminals to avoid arrest?
NO, IT CANNOT.
I am 99% certain that there is no law and no precedence for being able to legally claim "sanctuary" from US law by entering a church. I'm leaving that 1% open in case someone can actually cite law or precedence, since I'm not a lawyer or anything. The main reason why people have been getting away with it is a matter of public relations. The police and federal agents don't like the "bad press" if they were to storm into a church just to make an arrest of a fugitive. They have EVERY LEGAL RIGHT to do so, but they apparently choose not to, for appearance's sake.
I, for one, blame Disney for spreading this malarchy to the public's attention. It's all because of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that people think you can enter a church and claim "sanctuary" and then everything's hunky-dory as long as you stay inside the church's confines. That scene with Quasimodo screaming "SANCTUARY!!!" over and over tugs at your heartstrings, but don't let it affect your brain, people.
There is no such thing as church "sanctuary". Can you guess why?
Exactly. Then you'd need law governing what is and isn't a church. Would it apply only for Catholic churches? What about Evangelical? Lutheran? Protestant? Presbyterians? How about a synagogue? A mosque? Could I create my own religion, claim my house is my church, and claim sanctuary there?
No, because the police wouldn't bat an eyelash about storming through my door and arresting me, despite the fact I am the ordained Pope of Beefinatorix claiming "sanctuary" in the only Meatingplace of Beefinatorix.
Meanwhile, Flor Crisostomo is following Disney Law and has claimed "sanctuary" in that same church, under the assumption that as long as she stays inside, she can avoid her imminent arrest and deportation. If this is the case, how can people say with a straight face that "She has three kids who depend on her and what she sends from the U.S."? Of course, that quote comes from the last sanctuary-claimer of that church, Elvira Arellano, so you can't blame a criminal for devious tricks.
If she has three kids who depend on her to send them money, then what is the point of holing yourself up in some church? That is the OPPOSITE of work! It earns NO money! Flor Crisostomo is the only one to blame for her kids going hungry due to a lack of ill-gotten funds!
Call me a cynic, but the bitch should have given herself up instead of getting the public's attention - since that way she'd probably have gotten deported back to Mexico and sadly illegally entered America again within a very small timeframe.
It's very sad, but it's the truth. After all, that's exactly what Elvira Arellano did the FIRST time she got arrested and deported. The second time was when she decided to be a bitch with her sanctuary plot, making sure that the media attention would mean that after her inevitable arrest, sneaking back in would be exponentially more difficult thanks to her danged spotlight.
Also, this whole nonsense about becoming a fugitive to "take a stand" and "try and change U.S. immigration laws" is really pissing me off. Listen up, you criminal non-citizens! LEARN ABOUT AMERICA BEFORE YOU TRY AND CHANGE AMERICA! Maybe then Crisostomo would have known that laws are changed by US legislators and bureaucracy, and voted upon by CITIZENS.
Finally, the priest of that church should be locked up as well for aiding and abetting a known fugitive. He allowed her to enter and claim sanctuary, knowing fully well that is would make her a fugitive. That means that he willfully associated himself with the crime, which is pretty much the definition of "aiding and abetting" as far as I know.
If any of my information is wrong, please let me know.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS ILLEGAL.
(The online version of the article)
Read more!
So here's the big question: Can a church really provide sanctuary to criminals to avoid arrest?
NO, IT CANNOT.
I am 99% certain that there is no law and no precedence for being able to legally claim "sanctuary" from US law by entering a church. I'm leaving that 1% open in case someone can actually cite law or precedence, since I'm not a lawyer or anything. The main reason why people have been getting away with it is a matter of public relations. The police and federal agents don't like the "bad press" if they were to storm into a church just to make an arrest of a fugitive. They have EVERY LEGAL RIGHT to do so, but they apparently choose not to, for appearance's sake.
I, for one, blame Disney for spreading this malarchy to the public's attention. It's all because of The Hunchback of Notre Dame that people think you can enter a church and claim "sanctuary" and then everything's hunky-dory as long as you stay inside the church's confines. That scene with Quasimodo screaming "SANCTUARY!!!" over and over tugs at your heartstrings, but don't let it affect your brain, people.
There is no such thing as church "sanctuary". Can you guess why?
Exactly. Then you'd need law governing what is and isn't a church. Would it apply only for Catholic churches? What about Evangelical? Lutheran? Protestant? Presbyterians? How about a synagogue? A mosque? Could I create my own religion, claim my house is my church, and claim sanctuary there?
No, because the police wouldn't bat an eyelash about storming through my door and arresting me, despite the fact I am the ordained Pope of Beefinatorix claiming "sanctuary" in the only Meatingplace of Beefinatorix.
Meanwhile, Flor Crisostomo is following Disney Law and has claimed "sanctuary" in that same church, under the assumption that as long as she stays inside, she can avoid her imminent arrest and deportation. If this is the case, how can people say with a straight face that "She has three kids who depend on her and what she sends from the U.S."? Of course, that quote comes from the last sanctuary-claimer of that church, Elvira Arellano, so you can't blame a criminal for devious tricks.
If she has three kids who depend on her to send them money, then what is the point of holing yourself up in some church? That is the OPPOSITE of work! It earns NO money! Flor Crisostomo is the only one to blame for her kids going hungry due to a lack of ill-gotten funds!
Call me a cynic, but the bitch should have given herself up instead of getting the public's attention - since that way she'd probably have gotten deported back to Mexico and sadly illegally entered America again within a very small timeframe.
It's very sad, but it's the truth. After all, that's exactly what Elvira Arellano did the FIRST time she got arrested and deported. The second time was when she decided to be a bitch with her sanctuary plot, making sure that the media attention would mean that after her inevitable arrest, sneaking back in would be exponentially more difficult thanks to her danged spotlight.
Also, this whole nonsense about becoming a fugitive to "take a stand" and "try and change U.S. immigration laws" is really pissing me off. Listen up, you criminal non-citizens! LEARN ABOUT AMERICA BEFORE YOU TRY AND CHANGE AMERICA! Maybe then Crisostomo would have known that laws are changed by US legislators and bureaucracy, and voted upon by CITIZENS.
Finally, the priest of that church should be locked up as well for aiding and abetting a known fugitive. He allowed her to enter and claim sanctuary, knowing fully well that is would make her a fugitive. That means that he willfully associated himself with the crime, which is pretty much the definition of "aiding and abetting" as far as I know.
If any of my information is wrong, please let me know.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS ILLEGAL.
(The online version of the article)
Read more!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Another Arellano??
I picked up the paper today with all the hopes of "I hope there's something in here I can rant about today" - and I was not at all disappointed. (I mean with finding something to rant about - the news itself is very disappointing.) Right there on the front page were the words "Church harbors another illegal immigrant", and I hurried to Page 8 to find out what the hell is going on in my city.
It turns out that the SAME CHURCH that sheltered Elvira Arellano for that horrible year plans to allow ANOTHER illegal immigrant to seek shelter there instead of turning herself over to the authorities like she is supposed to do today.
This new illegal immigrant criminal was arrested in 2006 as a result of a nationwide raid of the IFCO Systems pallet company, which resulted in 26 illegal immigrant workers being arrested. Flor Crisostomo is supposed to be surrendering to the federal immigration authorities today. After retreating to the Adalberto United Methodist Church in Humboldt Park where her FRIEND Elvira Arellano hid from the feds for a year, she is supposed to be "announcing" her decision today of whether she plans to turn herself in or the more likely option of thumbing her nose at the law like she did when she illegally entered the country from Oaxaca in 2001 and staying in the church and claiming sanctuary.
My biggest issue with all this nonsense, aside from the fact that the church does NOT provide sanctuary for criminals and it's about damned time the feds proved it by storming in and arresting her criminal ass, is that it's evoking the stupidest debates as a result. A criminal illegally enters the U.S., gets caught and arrested, refuses to accept the punishment, and all people are talking about is federal immigration reform??? What's even worse is the slew of comments being written down that are completely ass-backwards!
"It is very difficult to make this decision. Whatever it is, it will be worthwhile. ... It's not just to benefit me, it's to benefit the community," Crisostomo said in an interview inside the church.
No, you lawbreaking bitch, this IS about benefitting yourself and NOT AT ALL about benefitting the community. If allowing criminals to hang around your neighborhood actually benefitted communities, then property values in some southside neighborhoods would have skyrocketed past all of the upscale northside neighborhoods a long time ago. What WOULD benefit the community would be you giving yourself up to the federal agents and making an announcement to all of your illegal brethren to follow suit and say "let's all go back to Mexico." THAT would make property values rise and lower the crime rates significantly.
"I am taking a stand of civil disobedience ... I believe with all my heart that the United States and Mexico must end the system of undocumented labor," said Flor Crisostomo.
You know what, Flor? I completely agree. We must end the system of undocumented labor. By sending all the undocumented workers back to Mexico!! For the love of all things good and right in the world, you can't tell me that entering the U.S. illegally and getting work with a fake I.D. and sending money to your three kids and mother back in Mexico is a system we should be applauding or trying to help in any way! American workers are supposed to have that money and that job and help the U.S. economy and the rest of the legal citizens of this country. Some states and cities ARE trying to end the undocumented worker situation - by holding businesses more responsible in their hiring practices with the threat of losing their license if they hire an illegal immigrant.
Maybe one day, to add insult to injury, our federal agents will calculate how much money the United States have lost as a result of illegal immigrants coming in from Mexico, just so we can sue Mexico for damages. Maybe if they got their own shit together, people wouldn't be fleeing to steal jobs from Americans across the border. Maybe if they beefed up their OWN security at the border, less people would make it through and be stuck to help Mexico's failing economy for a change!
In the meantime, Flor Crisostomo should be reunited with her family, thanks to a deportation bus ride back to her hometown at the hands of federal agents. And Gail Montenegro, spokeswoman for the ICE here in Chicago? I know that you said "ICE officers are sworn to enforce the nation's immigration laws and will do so at appropriate times and places," but I just have to say:
The proper time is ALWAYS. The proper place is WHEREVER THESE CRIMINALS ARE HIDING.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS ILLEGAL.
(The online version of the article)
Read more!
It turns out that the SAME CHURCH that sheltered Elvira Arellano for that horrible year plans to allow ANOTHER illegal immigrant to seek shelter there instead of turning herself over to the authorities like she is supposed to do today.
This new illegal immigrant criminal was arrested in 2006 as a result of a nationwide raid of the IFCO Systems pallet company, which resulted in 26 illegal immigrant workers being arrested. Flor Crisostomo is supposed to be surrendering to the federal immigration authorities today. After retreating to the Adalberto United Methodist Church in Humboldt Park where her FRIEND Elvira Arellano hid from the feds for a year, she is supposed to be "announcing" her decision today of whether she plans to turn herself in or the more likely option of thumbing her nose at the law like she did when she illegally entered the country from Oaxaca in 2001 and staying in the church and claiming sanctuary.
My biggest issue with all this nonsense, aside from the fact that the church does NOT provide sanctuary for criminals and it's about damned time the feds proved it by storming in and arresting her criminal ass, is that it's evoking the stupidest debates as a result. A criminal illegally enters the U.S., gets caught and arrested, refuses to accept the punishment, and all people are talking about is federal immigration reform??? What's even worse is the slew of comments being written down that are completely ass-backwards!
"It is very difficult to make this decision. Whatever it is, it will be worthwhile. ... It's not just to benefit me, it's to benefit the community," Crisostomo said in an interview inside the church.
No, you lawbreaking bitch, this IS about benefitting yourself and NOT AT ALL about benefitting the community. If allowing criminals to hang around your neighborhood actually benefitted communities, then property values in some southside neighborhoods would have skyrocketed past all of the upscale northside neighborhoods a long time ago. What WOULD benefit the community would be you giving yourself up to the federal agents and making an announcement to all of your illegal brethren to follow suit and say "let's all go back to Mexico." THAT would make property values rise and lower the crime rates significantly.
"I am taking a stand of civil disobedience ... I believe with all my heart that the United States and Mexico must end the system of undocumented labor," said Flor Crisostomo.
You know what, Flor? I completely agree. We must end the system of undocumented labor. By sending all the undocumented workers back to Mexico!! For the love of all things good and right in the world, you can't tell me that entering the U.S. illegally and getting work with a fake I.D. and sending money to your three kids and mother back in Mexico is a system we should be applauding or trying to help in any way! American workers are supposed to have that money and that job and help the U.S. economy and the rest of the legal citizens of this country. Some states and cities ARE trying to end the undocumented worker situation - by holding businesses more responsible in their hiring practices with the threat of losing their license if they hire an illegal immigrant.
Maybe one day, to add insult to injury, our federal agents will calculate how much money the United States have lost as a result of illegal immigrants coming in from Mexico, just so we can sue Mexico for damages. Maybe if they got their own shit together, people wouldn't be fleeing to steal jobs from Americans across the border. Maybe if they beefed up their OWN security at the border, less people would make it through and be stuck to help Mexico's failing economy for a change!
In the meantime, Flor Crisostomo should be reunited with her family, thanks to a deportation bus ride back to her hometown at the hands of federal agents. And Gail Montenegro, spokeswoman for the ICE here in Chicago? I know that you said "ICE officers are sworn to enforce the nation's immigration laws and will do so at appropriate times and places," but I just have to say:
The proper time is ALWAYS. The proper place is WHEREVER THESE CRIMINALS ARE HIDING.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS ILLEGAL.
(The online version of the article)
Read more!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Corporate Sponsorship
Nothing about a news story or a hardcore rant about an objectionable topic today. Maybe sometime soon I'll touch upon Jena coming back to the public eye, and on Sunday I hope to post about Week 1 of starting the Atkins diet, but for now all I have is a random thought that's been brewing on and off for a while.
It all started with the Latin Grammies, I think.
No, I didn't watch them. I'm not much for ethnic culture and not a personal fan of the metric system. What caught my eye was the McDonald's-sponsored viewing party being advertised on the ad on the train. I started wondering what happens if a food chain sponsors a party...
One would assume that in return for either providing money to hold the event or product for the event (in this case, maybe the McRib or something) - the event would have that company's logo on things or something like that. Maybe there would be TVs present with ads for that company, or the logo has to appear on all promotions or advertising for the event.
So how would one go about getting McDonald's to sponsor their personal party?
I mean if it's about ad placement and visibility, I have no shame about that. I'll play a McDonald's commercial video on my TV the entire length of the party. I'll hang up McDonald's posters and wear a McDonald's hat and even print up fliers for my party just so they can see the McDonald's logo on it.
I just want a few thousand bucks to throw a kick-ass party, or the equivalent in McDonald's food to be consumed at the party.
I guess it would all come down to McDonald's trying to figure out how much revenue would come back to THEM as a result of sponsoring the party. I mean all of the logos and ads at my place might be an enticement for some to go to McDonald's more often - especially after getting hooked on McNuggets after eating them from a McDonald's-branded trough full of them, but how can you really estimate the return value?
How can they estimate the return value from the Latin Grammies viewing party, though? I'm willing to venture that the amount of extra revenue from people at THAT party deciding to spend some extra money at McDonald's is VERY COMPARABLE to the amount of extra revenue from people at MY party deciding to spend some extra money at McDonald's.
It's just like Coca-Cola and Pepsi commercials. We're more or less fans of one or the other. Have ANY commercials, no matter how often they run, made you consider switching teams? Have ANY commercials, no matter how often they run, made you consider buying more of your favorite?
I rest my case.
McDonald's - I'll take $2,000 in party funds and $1,000 worth of Big Macs and french fries. In return, I'll whore out your corporation as much as possible. I'm sure it's nowhere near a FRACTION of what you spent for that Latin Grammies party. Do we have a deal? Read more!
It all started with the Latin Grammies, I think.
No, I didn't watch them. I'm not much for ethnic culture and not a personal fan of the metric system. What caught my eye was the McDonald's-sponsored viewing party being advertised on the ad on the train. I started wondering what happens if a food chain sponsors a party...
One would assume that in return for either providing money to hold the event or product for the event (in this case, maybe the McRib or something) - the event would have that company's logo on things or something like that. Maybe there would be TVs present with ads for that company, or the logo has to appear on all promotions or advertising for the event.
So how would one go about getting McDonald's to sponsor their personal party?
I mean if it's about ad placement and visibility, I have no shame about that. I'll play a McDonald's commercial video on my TV the entire length of the party. I'll hang up McDonald's posters and wear a McDonald's hat and even print up fliers for my party just so they can see the McDonald's logo on it.
I just want a few thousand bucks to throw a kick-ass party, or the equivalent in McDonald's food to be consumed at the party.
I guess it would all come down to McDonald's trying to figure out how much revenue would come back to THEM as a result of sponsoring the party. I mean all of the logos and ads at my place might be an enticement for some to go to McDonald's more often - especially after getting hooked on McNuggets after eating them from a McDonald's-branded trough full of them, but how can you really estimate the return value?
How can they estimate the return value from the Latin Grammies viewing party, though? I'm willing to venture that the amount of extra revenue from people at THAT party deciding to spend some extra money at McDonald's is VERY COMPARABLE to the amount of extra revenue from people at MY party deciding to spend some extra money at McDonald's.
It's just like Coca-Cola and Pepsi commercials. We're more or less fans of one or the other. Have ANY commercials, no matter how often they run, made you consider switching teams? Have ANY commercials, no matter how often they run, made you consider buying more of your favorite?
I rest my case.
McDonald's - I'll take $2,000 in party funds and $1,000 worth of Big Macs and french fries. In return, I'll whore out your corporation as much as possible. I'm sure it's nowhere near a FRACTION of what you spent for that Latin Grammies party. Do we have a deal? Read more!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
CTA and Old People
For those of you who don't live in Chicago, here's the rundown on where we stand with Doomsday:
In September, the CTA threatened to have a Doomsday because of no funding and pretty much going to go broke. The solution back then was a rate increase and cutting service from about 20-30 bus lines, most were the Express routes. After wheedling and begging, they got some money at the zero hour and Doomsday was averted - to six weeks later. In November, similar threats of impending hikes and cuts, already with talk about ANOTHER Doomsday in January. This time, again at the zero hour (because apparently nobody likes to make a solution other than the night before the deadline), the small amount of funding came through - in the form of an advance on their 2008 funding. So now they obviously are further in a funding deficit and the January Doomsday is in less than a week. The plan now involves a larger rate hike, including higher rates during "rush hours", and cutting the service on over 80 bus lines.
At this point, there WAS legislature in the works to increase the sales tax and real estate tax and that would come up with the funding. And instead of signing the legislation, Governor Blagojevich decided to gum up the works by saying, "Sure, I'll sign this - but only if we give free rides to all senior citizens."
That's where we currently stand, from what I've been following and am able to digest.
I don't know what the hell our governor is thinking. No wait, I probably know EXACTLY what he's thinking. I just can't believe that with the crisis at this level, he won't put on his big-boy face and just sign the damned bill without playing with his devious political agenda like a mischievous child pulling the wings off of flies. He likes his power and he wants to stay in power and he likes the feeling of power over all of us.
So, you may ask, where does the whole senior citizen plan come from and what's so bad about giving them a free ride?
Well, for starters, I'm not saying that giving the elderly a free ride is a "bad thing" - I'm just saying it's a bad idea, especially at this point in time. And this point in time is all about the fact that our public transit system is BROKE, which means that it's the wrong time to talk about plans to bring in LESS MONEY by giving free rides. If your bakery is going under financially, that means it's a bad time to decide to hand out loaves of bread to pretty women in hopes of getting laid. Which is a good analogy for what Blagojevich is doing.
He's just sucking up to get the old people votes.
Yea, the elderly historically do the most voting. So that means catering to them is top priority for the sneakiest of politicians. And what better way to kiss some wrinkled ass than by offering them free public transit rides? I mean they currently have a DISCOUNT program so they pay a hugely-reduced fare, but Blagojevich is worried that the general fare increase, even with the huge reduction in price, would be too much for the elderly and their fixed-income lifestyles. So rather than doing something sensible like demand that reduced-fare prices remain the SAME, he's decided to go with a demand for free rides for the elderly and children can pretty much suck a lemon until they're old enough to vote for Blagojevich.
Don't get me wrong, kids need to do a lot more lemon-sucking in this day and age, but it's not like the kids are paying for the fares: their parents are. And parents suck enough lemons on a daily basis.
So of course, as soon as people starting coming to their senses about why he might be catering to the elderly (and the rest are fuming over putting another wrench in the works for ending Doomsday), he took his soapbox over to the pulpit and started defending himself while at the House of Hope megachurch and went from sucking-up to guilt-tripping. Once the reverend James Meeks had livened up the crowd of churchgoers, of course. I think that what sums up his argument is apparently his quote of: "How many of you agree with me that it is the right thing to do to give your grandmother a free ride on a bus?"
So that's it. Apparently if we're not cool with him handing out freebies while the system goes broke, we're so evil and wrong that we apparently hate our own grandmothers. Well, Rod, as long as we're tacking on laws designed to make wishes and nonsense come true, then how about adding that any male with an offspring be sold only winning lottery tickets? After all, how many of you agree with me that it is the right thing to do to make sure your father wins the lottery?
Mayor Daley shouldn't be so pessimistic," Blagojevich said. "Maybe he needs to come to the House of Hope and have a little bit of hope, because I have high hopes for our lawmakers."
LAWS AREN'T PASSED WITH HOPE, YOU POMPOUS DOUCHEBAG!
Laws are passed by legislators, and despite your bag of hope and sunshine overflowing, this addition you've made has pretty much made half a dozen legislators decide to probably change their votes. Since the original bill luckily passed and went into your hands (where you promptly used it as toilet paper and marked it "return to sender") by only a slight margin, these vote changes have likely doomed the bill to not pass this second time around. And then we're all screwed and Doomsday wins.
If you want a REAL taste of Blagojevich's dastardly suck-up plan, you'd have to look closer at what he actually wants for senior citizens. Even though he stated at one point that all Illinois seniors would ride for free, he REALLY only meant LOCAL senior citizens. In order to qualify for the free ride, you'd have to live in that district. Chicago elderly can use the CTA/Metra/Pace systems for free, but in other connected cities, it would only apply for the public transit in their district. And as for the rest of Illinois seniors from downstate - there's no hope for you.
Then there's the entire issue of HOW all of this would be DONE. Special cards issued by district? Some kind of shiny pass that can be copied and sold? Magic beans? The truth is that the governor didn't think of ANY of this crap. He just wanted to pander to the voting elderly in the city, and his next appearance being at the Hallmark Retirement Home at 2960 N. Lake Shore Drive this morning in about 2 hours is just more proof of that.
If he REALLY cared about the senior citizens with fixed incomes not having to suffer with rate hikes, he should have proposed to keep their reduced fare cards at the SAME PRICE, rather than just letting them have free rides and screwing over the children in the process. That would be the genuinely-thoughtful and practical thing to do.
You know what? After all of this, I'm rethinking some of my cast choices for my CTA-based movie (which now has a working title of "Crossing the Line"). I'm thinking Daley should be played by someone more like Danny DeVito rather than Fred Thompson. DeVito can deliver a little better humor than Thompson could. I'd consider Patton Oswalt, but he's a little young-looking. And maybe someone a little more evil than Tom Cruise for Blagojevich, despite my wanting to see Cruise in a villainous role.
I wonder if Satan is available.
(Blagojevich at the megachurch with his "hope")
(The truth about which senior citizens would ride free)
Read more!
In September, the CTA threatened to have a Doomsday because of no funding and pretty much going to go broke. The solution back then was a rate increase and cutting service from about 20-30 bus lines, most were the Express routes. After wheedling and begging, they got some money at the zero hour and Doomsday was averted - to six weeks later. In November, similar threats of impending hikes and cuts, already with talk about ANOTHER Doomsday in January. This time, again at the zero hour (because apparently nobody likes to make a solution other than the night before the deadline), the small amount of funding came through - in the form of an advance on their 2008 funding. So now they obviously are further in a funding deficit and the January Doomsday is in less than a week. The plan now involves a larger rate hike, including higher rates during "rush hours", and cutting the service on over 80 bus lines.
At this point, there WAS legislature in the works to increase the sales tax and real estate tax and that would come up with the funding. And instead of signing the legislation, Governor Blagojevich decided to gum up the works by saying, "Sure, I'll sign this - but only if we give free rides to all senior citizens."
That's where we currently stand, from what I've been following and am able to digest.
I don't know what the hell our governor is thinking. No wait, I probably know EXACTLY what he's thinking. I just can't believe that with the crisis at this level, he won't put on his big-boy face and just sign the damned bill without playing with his devious political agenda like a mischievous child pulling the wings off of flies. He likes his power and he wants to stay in power and he likes the feeling of power over all of us.
So, you may ask, where does the whole senior citizen plan come from and what's so bad about giving them a free ride?
Well, for starters, I'm not saying that giving the elderly a free ride is a "bad thing" - I'm just saying it's a bad idea, especially at this point in time. And this point in time is all about the fact that our public transit system is BROKE, which means that it's the wrong time to talk about plans to bring in LESS MONEY by giving free rides. If your bakery is going under financially, that means it's a bad time to decide to hand out loaves of bread to pretty women in hopes of getting laid. Which is a good analogy for what Blagojevich is doing.
He's just sucking up to get the old people votes.
Yea, the elderly historically do the most voting. So that means catering to them is top priority for the sneakiest of politicians. And what better way to kiss some wrinkled ass than by offering them free public transit rides? I mean they currently have a DISCOUNT program so they pay a hugely-reduced fare, but Blagojevich is worried that the general fare increase, even with the huge reduction in price, would be too much for the elderly and their fixed-income lifestyles. So rather than doing something sensible like demand that reduced-fare prices remain the SAME, he's decided to go with a demand for free rides for the elderly and children can pretty much suck a lemon until they're old enough to vote for Blagojevich.
Don't get me wrong, kids need to do a lot more lemon-sucking in this day and age, but it's not like the kids are paying for the fares: their parents are. And parents suck enough lemons on a daily basis.
So of course, as soon as people starting coming to their senses about why he might be catering to the elderly (and the rest are fuming over putting another wrench in the works for ending Doomsday), he took his soapbox over to the pulpit and started defending himself while at the House of Hope megachurch and went from sucking-up to guilt-tripping. Once the reverend James Meeks had livened up the crowd of churchgoers, of course. I think that what sums up his argument is apparently his quote of: "How many of you agree with me that it is the right thing to do to give your grandmother a free ride on a bus?"
So that's it. Apparently if we're not cool with him handing out freebies while the system goes broke, we're so evil and wrong that we apparently hate our own grandmothers. Well, Rod, as long as we're tacking on laws designed to make wishes and nonsense come true, then how about adding that any male with an offspring be sold only winning lottery tickets? After all, how many of you agree with me that it is the right thing to do to make sure your father wins the lottery?
Mayor Daley shouldn't be so pessimistic," Blagojevich said. "Maybe he needs to come to the House of Hope and have a little bit of hope, because I have high hopes for our lawmakers."
LAWS AREN'T PASSED WITH HOPE, YOU POMPOUS DOUCHEBAG!
Laws are passed by legislators, and despite your bag of hope and sunshine overflowing, this addition you've made has pretty much made half a dozen legislators decide to probably change their votes. Since the original bill luckily passed and went into your hands (where you promptly used it as toilet paper and marked it "return to sender") by only a slight margin, these vote changes have likely doomed the bill to not pass this second time around. And then we're all screwed and Doomsday wins.
If you want a REAL taste of Blagojevich's dastardly suck-up plan, you'd have to look closer at what he actually wants for senior citizens. Even though he stated at one point that all Illinois seniors would ride for free, he REALLY only meant LOCAL senior citizens. In order to qualify for the free ride, you'd have to live in that district. Chicago elderly can use the CTA/Metra/Pace systems for free, but in other connected cities, it would only apply for the public transit in their district. And as for the rest of Illinois seniors from downstate - there's no hope for you.
Then there's the entire issue of HOW all of this would be DONE. Special cards issued by district? Some kind of shiny pass that can be copied and sold? Magic beans? The truth is that the governor didn't think of ANY of this crap. He just wanted to pander to the voting elderly in the city, and his next appearance being at the Hallmark Retirement Home at 2960 N. Lake Shore Drive this morning in about 2 hours is just more proof of that.
If he REALLY cared about the senior citizens with fixed incomes not having to suffer with rate hikes, he should have proposed to keep their reduced fare cards at the SAME PRICE, rather than just letting them have free rides and screwing over the children in the process. That would be the genuinely-thoughtful and practical thing to do.
You know what? After all of this, I'm rethinking some of my cast choices for my CTA-based movie (which now has a working title of "Crossing the Line"). I'm thinking Daley should be played by someone more like Danny DeVito rather than Fred Thompson. DeVito can deliver a little better humor than Thompson could. I'd consider Patton Oswalt, but he's a little young-looking. And maybe someone a little more evil than Tom Cruise for Blagojevich, despite my wanting to see Cruise in a villainous role.
I wonder if Satan is available.
(Blagojevich at the megachurch with his "hope")
(The truth about which senior citizens would ride free)
Read more!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Sandler and the CTA!
Stop the presses! I've just solved the CTA's money problems and if we can get this screenplay together in less than a week, we can present it to Hollywood and sign a contract for millions of dollars and that plus royalties should keep the CTA afloat!
Here's where it all began:
I'm reading the RedEye like I usually do in the mornings, riding the #44 bus (until it's killed on Doomsday) and the Orange Line train I take to get to work downtown, and the article about the CTA Doomsday and Blagojevich's legislation nonsense and that's when I see it. It's the first time I've seen a photo of the CTA President, Ron Huberman. My first instinct?
Man, that guy looks a LOT like Adam Sandler!
Well, maybe it's that Adam Sandler could easily portray this guy with a slightly different haircut and not much else. That's when I get my big idea: creating a movie about the CTA starring Adam Sandler as Ron Huberman. Or, well, not necessarily him completely - the movie's going to TECHNICALLY be fiction, but the plot setup is rather true-to-life.
Possible plotline:
Ron Huberman arrives to his office on the first day of his new position of CTA President, only to find out from the staff that there's no money, no funding, and the previous president has already created Project Doomsday which is now in motion. Ron learns that almost half of the bus lines will be axed (as well as the drivers), fares will need to be increased to almost double, and the entire Santa's Holiday Train project will be scrapped this year - all with 30 days as the deadline to get the money or funding before the CTA goes literally broke.
(I think he'll come to work on that first day right after Thanksgiving and the Doomsday will be maybe like Christmas, so this can become a holiday season movie.)
All the while trying to fight a few high-up legislators who never agree, like Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich, Ron must attempt some crazy stunts to try and create funding for the CTA. Basically it's every hilarious idea that the RedEye readers have sent in, plus some of the decent ones which accidentally go horribly awry (in comedic fashion). I'm picturing everything from a Bake Sale scene to possibly Ron talking to a mob boss (this is Chicago, after all) at one point. All the while, most of this takes place along the Red Line because you don't even need to exaggerate it that much to turn it into comedy.
I'm thinking a possible scene could be having Ron wrangle up all of the homeless musicians from along the Red Line stops and having a huge concert featuring the Red Line Players or something hilarious like that. It'd be fun to get musician cameos with popular musicians dressed as hobos!
The movie finally ties together - in the exact same way that reality would! Ron's last idea is his best ever; he creates a CTA screenplay and pitches it to Hollywood! The last few scenes would be Ron receiving the huge check from the movie studios and celebrating by riding in the sleigh along the Red Line with Santa's Holiday Train as riders cheer him on. There's a brief fade and we notice it's now an ACTOR playing Ron in the sleigh and as the credits roll, the camera pans out to a movie theater where Ron is having a screening with the other characters - still celebrating the victory and having one last laugh before the real credits roll.
Possible actors/actresses:
Adam Sandler as Ron Huberman. I think he can pull it off and make even Doomsday seem funny - at least to everyone not from Chicago. Plus, he's got the "nice guy" attitude until something pisses him off and he does the classic Adam Sandler yelling and freaking out stuff.
Tom Cruise as Governor Blagojevich. When was the last time we saw Tom as some kind of bad guy? I think Tom could bring some weird devilish evilness as a governor who's ruining the funding process.
Fred Thompson as Mayor Daley. Well, he's gotta have something to fall back on once he eventually drops from the presidential primaries. He can at least settle for mayor in a movie!
The usual Happy/Madison members like Rob Schneider and [those other guys] as CTA Red Line riders. If you've ridden the Red Line, you'd know what I'm talking about.
Morgan Freeman as a kindhearted hobo, offering sage advice in-between selling items on the train (the items change randomly in every scene he's in).
Perhaps some actress as a Blue Line rider who becomes the love interest after constantly bumping into Ron in the Jackson transfer tunnel. Perhaps a slow-motion Jackson transfer tunnel reconciliation montage near the end?
That's all I have so far. Maybe you're not all that interested, but I think there's a chance that Hollywood would go for it. And sign a big fat check that would take care of enough of the REAL CTA's Doomsday woes with potential royalties supplying the rest?
That's my big idea. What ideas have YOU offered to save the CTA from Doomsday? Well, mine's better. Because my idea could incorporate yours as a comedic scene!
Read more!
Here's where it all began:
I'm reading the RedEye like I usually do in the mornings, riding the #44 bus (until it's killed on Doomsday) and the Orange Line train I take to get to work downtown, and the article about the CTA Doomsday and Blagojevich's legislation nonsense and that's when I see it. It's the first time I've seen a photo of the CTA President, Ron Huberman. My first instinct?
Man, that guy looks a LOT like Adam Sandler!
Well, maybe it's that Adam Sandler could easily portray this guy with a slightly different haircut and not much else. That's when I get my big idea: creating a movie about the CTA starring Adam Sandler as Ron Huberman. Or, well, not necessarily him completely - the movie's going to TECHNICALLY be fiction, but the plot setup is rather true-to-life.
Possible plotline:
Ron Huberman arrives to his office on the first day of his new position of CTA President, only to find out from the staff that there's no money, no funding, and the previous president has already created Project Doomsday which is now in motion. Ron learns that almost half of the bus lines will be axed (as well as the drivers), fares will need to be increased to almost double, and the entire Santa's Holiday Train project will be scrapped this year - all with 30 days as the deadline to get the money or funding before the CTA goes literally broke.
(I think he'll come to work on that first day right after Thanksgiving and the Doomsday will be maybe like Christmas, so this can become a holiday season movie.)
All the while trying to fight a few high-up legislators who never agree, like Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich, Ron must attempt some crazy stunts to try and create funding for the CTA. Basically it's every hilarious idea that the RedEye readers have sent in, plus some of the decent ones which accidentally go horribly awry (in comedic fashion). I'm picturing everything from a Bake Sale scene to possibly Ron talking to a mob boss (this is Chicago, after all) at one point. All the while, most of this takes place along the Red Line because you don't even need to exaggerate it that much to turn it into comedy.
I'm thinking a possible scene could be having Ron wrangle up all of the homeless musicians from along the Red Line stops and having a huge concert featuring the Red Line Players or something hilarious like that. It'd be fun to get musician cameos with popular musicians dressed as hobos!
The movie finally ties together - in the exact same way that reality would! Ron's last idea is his best ever; he creates a CTA screenplay and pitches it to Hollywood! The last few scenes would be Ron receiving the huge check from the movie studios and celebrating by riding in the sleigh along the Red Line with Santa's Holiday Train as riders cheer him on. There's a brief fade and we notice it's now an ACTOR playing Ron in the sleigh and as the credits roll, the camera pans out to a movie theater where Ron is having a screening with the other characters - still celebrating the victory and having one last laugh before the real credits roll.
Possible actors/actresses:
Adam Sandler as Ron Huberman. I think he can pull it off and make even Doomsday seem funny - at least to everyone not from Chicago. Plus, he's got the "nice guy" attitude until something pisses him off and he does the classic Adam Sandler yelling and freaking out stuff.
Tom Cruise as Governor Blagojevich. When was the last time we saw Tom as some kind of bad guy? I think Tom could bring some weird devilish evilness as a governor who's ruining the funding process.
Fred Thompson as Mayor Daley. Well, he's gotta have something to fall back on once he eventually drops from the presidential primaries. He can at least settle for mayor in a movie!
The usual Happy/Madison members like Rob Schneider and [those other guys] as CTA Red Line riders. If you've ridden the Red Line, you'd know what I'm talking about.
Morgan Freeman as a kindhearted hobo, offering sage advice in-between selling items on the train (the items change randomly in every scene he's in).
Perhaps some actress as a Blue Line rider who becomes the love interest after constantly bumping into Ron in the Jackson transfer tunnel. Perhaps a slow-motion Jackson transfer tunnel reconciliation montage near the end?
That's all I have so far. Maybe you're not all that interested, but I think there's a chance that Hollywood would go for it. And sign a big fat check that would take care of enough of the REAL CTA's Doomsday woes with potential royalties supplying the rest?
That's my big idea. What ideas have YOU offered to save the CTA from Doomsday? Well, mine's better. Because my idea could incorporate yours as a comedic scene!
Read more!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
PETA Not Versus Britney?
If there's ever been an organization that could be known for backhanded compliments, backhanded complaints and just plain backhanded EVERYTHING - it would almost definitely be PETA. Sometimes it even backhands its own logic just to get more public attention. For example, Ingrid Newkirk (the evil dictator of the evil empire) has it in her PETA mission statement that animals are not ours to own and should be free, which means NO PETS. So every time PETA gets in a tizzy about dogs and cats, I keep wondering why their stance isn't "no pets" every time.
Eventually I learned that PETA apparently just wants them all dead so nobody can own any. They want all the breeders shut down, they want all current pets spayed or neutered, and they routinely go around "rescuing" animals from shelters (when not protesting shelters) and kill them all in puppy-killing deathmobiles and dump the carcasses in dumpsters. Which means you can't breed them, nobody else can breed them, and they'll kill any of them not currently owned. All dogs and cats would be dead after this generation. Thanks, PETA. If that's not a backhanded slap in the face to all your members who think you're trying to HELP animals when in reality you want SPECIES GENOCIDE, I don't know what is.
But I digress, this is about Britney Spears. Seriously, it is. The problem is that PETA seems to want to excuse Britney while still calling her inexcusable. They want to give her leniency by shining a spotlight on her and berating her. It all begins with the "PETA Worst-Dressed-List" - a crock of shit that's basically a list of celebrities who wear fur or perhaps have a clothing line that uses fur, and uppity PETA members vote for which one they'd like to assassinate most. Britney was on their initial list this year and, despite being the front-runner in the first few days of voting, PETA recently decided to remove her from the list. Here's what PETA said about the decision (and watch for all the backhandedness):
Given her recent trip to the psych ward, it's becoming more and more clear that she's not entirely accountable for her actions — and that includes her poor fashion choices just as much as it does her bad parenting decisions.
With that in mind, we've decided to give Britney a bit of a break this year, and take her off the Worst-Dressed-List poll, despite the fact that she had established herself as a strong front-runner in the first two days of voting. Here's what PETA Vice President Dan Mathews had to say about the decision:
"People with l'il kids shouldn't dress like L'il Kim. But at this point, Britney needs a break — from everybody. Maybe when her head is clear, she'll have a change of heart about wearing fur. If not, we'll be back biting at her heels."
So there you have it, but the question is, did we make the right choice in giving Brit a break this year despite her unfortunate penchant for, um, flaunting her fur in public?
Okay, so they want to give her a break - but had to at the same time call her out for wearing fur anyway, insult her parenting, make an offhand remark about the public exposure incident and basically call her insane? That's just plain stupid and backhanded. Especially when you finish up your "let's leave Britney alone" message with a "we will not leave Britney alone" message.
I still can't tell if they seriously want to attempt leaving Britney alone, despite their jackassedly-persistent tendencies of insulting everything that doesn't fit into their collective mindview. Of course, once you remember that their collective mindview is more psychotic and insane than the ramblings of most mental patients - who's really the insane one here, PETA? For once, maybe it's not Britney Spears.
Besides, something tells me that this incident of backhandedly excusing Britney from the Worst-Dressed-List is going to get MORE publicity than the actual results of a PETA Worst-Dressed-List anyway. Which means you really haven't given her a break at all.
But I guess it just holds true that you can't believe a single word coming from an organization that considers "rescue" to take the form of a puppy-killing deathmobile.
(PETA's statement about Britney)
(PetaKillsAnimals.com)
Read more!
Eventually I learned that PETA apparently just wants them all dead so nobody can own any. They want all the breeders shut down, they want all current pets spayed or neutered, and they routinely go around "rescuing" animals from shelters (when not protesting shelters) and kill them all in puppy-killing deathmobiles and dump the carcasses in dumpsters. Which means you can't breed them, nobody else can breed them, and they'll kill any of them not currently owned. All dogs and cats would be dead after this generation. Thanks, PETA. If that's not a backhanded slap in the face to all your members who think you're trying to HELP animals when in reality you want SPECIES GENOCIDE, I don't know what is.
But I digress, this is about Britney Spears. Seriously, it is. The problem is that PETA seems to want to excuse Britney while still calling her inexcusable. They want to give her leniency by shining a spotlight on her and berating her. It all begins with the "PETA Worst-Dressed-List" - a crock of shit that's basically a list of celebrities who wear fur or perhaps have a clothing line that uses fur, and uppity PETA members vote for which one they'd like to assassinate most. Britney was on their initial list this year and, despite being the front-runner in the first few days of voting, PETA recently decided to remove her from the list. Here's what PETA said about the decision (and watch for all the backhandedness):
Given her recent trip to the psych ward, it's becoming more and more clear that she's not entirely accountable for her actions — and that includes her poor fashion choices just as much as it does her bad parenting decisions.
With that in mind, we've decided to give Britney a bit of a break this year, and take her off the Worst-Dressed-List poll, despite the fact that she had established herself as a strong front-runner in the first two days of voting. Here's what PETA Vice President Dan Mathews had to say about the decision:
"People with l'il kids shouldn't dress like L'il Kim. But at this point, Britney needs a break — from everybody. Maybe when her head is clear, she'll have a change of heart about wearing fur. If not, we'll be back biting at her heels."
So there you have it, but the question is, did we make the right choice in giving Brit a break this year despite her unfortunate penchant for, um, flaunting her fur in public?
Okay, so they want to give her a break - but had to at the same time call her out for wearing fur anyway, insult her parenting, make an offhand remark about the public exposure incident and basically call her insane? That's just plain stupid and backhanded. Especially when you finish up your "let's leave Britney alone" message with a "we will not leave Britney alone" message.
I still can't tell if they seriously want to attempt leaving Britney alone, despite their jackassedly-persistent tendencies of insulting everything that doesn't fit into their collective mindview. Of course, once you remember that their collective mindview is more psychotic and insane than the ramblings of most mental patients - who's really the insane one here, PETA? For once, maybe it's not Britney Spears.
Besides, something tells me that this incident of backhandedly excusing Britney from the Worst-Dressed-List is going to get MORE publicity than the actual results of a PETA Worst-Dressed-List anyway. Which means you really haven't given her a break at all.
But I guess it just holds true that you can't believe a single word coming from an organization that considers "rescue" to take the form of a puppy-killing deathmobile.
(PETA's statement about Britney)
(PetaKillsAnimals.com)
Read more!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Publicity and Deportation
Finally, it looks like someone at the federal level may have been taking MY advice to heart! While I'm sure that it's purely coincidence that I suggested something a few months ago and then today found out that it actually happened - the Colbert inside can't help but celebrating with cheesy graphics, a balloon drop, and the phrase "I CALLED IT!"
For those of you who don't remember this post about the May Day rallies, I called for the I.C.E. to monitor the most obvious source of information on illegal immigrants: news stories featuring illegal immigrants. Especially if there's a name. ESPECIALLY if it's accompanied by a city/state. ESPECIALLY if there's an accompanying picture. Seriously, if there's a picture of an illegal immigrant in the papers or one featured on a news telecast, how can the feds NOT be deporting these people?
Well, finally, they did.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mynor Montufar at his apartment Friday after local newspapers and television stations showed him and Carmen Marrero as parents of the first baby born in the state after the new year rolled in, officials said. ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier said the timing of Montufar's arrest was coincidental to the publicity surrounding his child. Another man also was arrested at the apartment, although Grenier would not identify him, citing agency policy.
So the ICE is going to play the "coincidental" card? I'd like to think higher of them, and that they finally started playing the game smarter than they supposedly have been playing in the past. It really shouldn't take a rocket scientist to see an illegal immigrant on the news and connect it with deporting them. For all the nonsense flying around about Big Brother listening in to private broadcasts, it's about time that someone on the federal level listened in to a public one and did something about it!
The story gets better when it turns out that another man was taken into custody at the apartment as well. While I don't want to go off about a stereotype involving multiple illegal immigrants sticking together, I can follow a flow of unbiased logic to get to the same conclusion. After all, since landlords aren't supposed to rent to illegal immigrants, one would logically figure that if one illegal immigrant managed to procure a living space, others would join rather than struggle to procure more living spaces. In fact, there was a third illegal immigrant living there as well! The ICE never entered that locked bedroom, but the fear of deportation once they entered and made the arrests was possibly what drove him to hang himself with a belt. It's still not clear WHEN the suicide happened - but it's likely it happened at the time or shortly after the arrests were being made.
The president of the Mexican-American Association of Rhode Island, Antonio Barajas, said an investigation would show whether the death was a result of distress triggered by fear of deportation. "There are two tragedies," Barajas said. "Hopefully an investigation will be conducted to determine whether they are related or not."
No, Antonio, an autopsy would NOT show if the death was a result of distress or fear over deportation. I'm pretty damned sure it WILL show that the death was a result of suicide by hanging. It COULD show that the death happened around the time that ICE entered and made arrests, but it won't know a motive or causation for the suicide. You don't get to blame the people doing their job (correctly, for a change) for the suicide of a possibly-frightened man in a locked bedroom.
Frankly, if you choose death over going back to the country you emigrated from - what does that really say about your native country?
All in all, I would NOT call this a tragedy in any way - neither the death of a cowardly criminal or the arrest and probable deportation of a criminal bold enough to voluntarily appear in the news. I sincerely hope that the ICE continues to follow my advice and keep their eyes peeled on the news for all the leads towards illegal immigrants than they can find. If I run across more stories featuring illegal immigrants, I'll certainly post the information here on my blog. I just want to help fight crime - even if it is in such a passive manner.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS ILLEGAL.
(The story the led to the arrest)
(The story about the arrest)
Read more!
For those of you who don't remember this post about the May Day rallies, I called for the I.C.E. to monitor the most obvious source of information on illegal immigrants: news stories featuring illegal immigrants. Especially if there's a name. ESPECIALLY if it's accompanied by a city/state. ESPECIALLY if there's an accompanying picture. Seriously, if there's a picture of an illegal immigrant in the papers or one featured on a news telecast, how can the feds NOT be deporting these people?
Well, finally, they did.
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Mynor Montufar at his apartment Friday after local newspapers and television stations showed him and Carmen Marrero as parents of the first baby born in the state after the new year rolled in, officials said. ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier said the timing of Montufar's arrest was coincidental to the publicity surrounding his child. Another man also was arrested at the apartment, although Grenier would not identify him, citing agency policy.
So the ICE is going to play the "coincidental" card? I'd like to think higher of them, and that they finally started playing the game smarter than they supposedly have been playing in the past. It really shouldn't take a rocket scientist to see an illegal immigrant on the news and connect it with deporting them. For all the nonsense flying around about Big Brother listening in to private broadcasts, it's about time that someone on the federal level listened in to a public one and did something about it!
The story gets better when it turns out that another man was taken into custody at the apartment as well. While I don't want to go off about a stereotype involving multiple illegal immigrants sticking together, I can follow a flow of unbiased logic to get to the same conclusion. After all, since landlords aren't supposed to rent to illegal immigrants, one would logically figure that if one illegal immigrant managed to procure a living space, others would join rather than struggle to procure more living spaces. In fact, there was a third illegal immigrant living there as well! The ICE never entered that locked bedroom, but the fear of deportation once they entered and made the arrests was possibly what drove him to hang himself with a belt. It's still not clear WHEN the suicide happened - but it's likely it happened at the time or shortly after the arrests were being made.
The president of the Mexican-American Association of Rhode Island, Antonio Barajas, said an investigation would show whether the death was a result of distress triggered by fear of deportation. "There are two tragedies," Barajas said. "Hopefully an investigation will be conducted to determine whether they are related or not."
No, Antonio, an autopsy would NOT show if the death was a result of distress or fear over deportation. I'm pretty damned sure it WILL show that the death was a result of suicide by hanging. It COULD show that the death happened around the time that ICE entered and made arrests, but it won't know a motive or causation for the suicide. You don't get to blame the people doing their job (correctly, for a change) for the suicide of a possibly-frightened man in a locked bedroom.
Frankly, if you choose death over going back to the country you emigrated from - what does that really say about your native country?
All in all, I would NOT call this a tragedy in any way - neither the death of a cowardly criminal or the arrest and probable deportation of a criminal bold enough to voluntarily appear in the news. I sincerely hope that the ICE continues to follow my advice and keep their eyes peeled on the news for all the leads towards illegal immigrants than they can find. If I run across more stories featuring illegal immigrants, I'll certainly post the information here on my blog. I just want to help fight crime - even if it is in such a passive manner.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS ILLEGAL.
(The story the led to the arrest)
(The story about the arrest)
Read more!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Zoos and Attacks
Right off the bat, I want to say that the death of Carlos Sousa Jr. was not "tragic", in my opinion. Sure, many of you will give me hell for stating that opinion, but you shouldn't mess with tigers if you don't have professional experience.
See? I'm not going to make a blanket statement that says "never mess with tigers" or "leave the tigers alone" - because we're humans and we reign supreme and if you've got the proper training and experience in the profession, you can safely mess with the tigers. This kid was not a professional and shouldn't have been messing with the tigers, so I'm not going to shed any tears over the fact that it backfired on him and the tiger messed with him in return.
In fact, over the past few days, more and more facts have been rising to the surface and when you look at it, the tiger is certainly not to blame and the zoo isn't responsible either. It appears to be idiot kids doing something wrong and catching tiger-related hell for it.
For example, the empty vodka bottle found in the car of the boys, which leads one to believe that their heads were already in stupid mode as the events took place. Even though the police denied this fact, the New York Times reported that two of the boys were carrying slingshots. One witness even came forward and affirmed that taunting took place, saying that two of the mauling victims were "roaring"at the big cats. "They were trying to get that lion's attention. ... The lion was bristling. ... Their behavior was disturbing. They kept doing it." While the witness may not prove the best at discerning between lions and tigers, the witness certainly knows that there was malicious intent and taunting taking place.
Once you've got all of that in your head, can you really find these kids as the "innocent victims" people are claiming them to be?
So then, of course, comes the question of whether or not zoos should be "acceptable" in this new generation. People do have a point in saying that the internet is responsible for conveying a lot of information that didn't used to be so readily available. In the olden days, the only way you could show a child the wonders of the elephant were in books and old National Geographic films complete with creepy film graininess and a boring voiceover. Or you went to a zoo and saw an elephant in real life, usually accompanied by a boring voiceover provided by your zoo tour guide. Now, you can just Google "elephant" and get images, videos and all of the encyclopaedic knowledge in mere seconds.
But I pose the question: Is all that technology really going to convey the magnificence of seeing an elephant in reality?
I, for one, say that it won't. But of course, I was from a generation on the cusp - having to get most of my knowledge the old-fashioned way throughout childhood just so a few years later in my teen years the internet blossomed into what it is today so I can at least attempt a comparison. I've seen elephants in the zoo. And they are BIG. Not as big today as they were when I was relatively smaller, but I've seen all the YouTube and Wikipedia and I have to say that there's no comparison. Hands down, the zoo lets you know what an elephant is REALLY like.
Does it accurately portray an elephant living in the wild? No.
Is it still a real elephant that can instill wonderment in a child and spark the imagination? You bet your ass it is.
Plus, not only can you learn about the real live animal and what it looks like and even funny things trainers will do with them in a zoo show - you get to learn that animals stink. Say what you will about video versus reality in the sense of children learning about how large the elephant is - only the zoo can accurately convey the information of how much wild animals stink. The poo is the real learning factor, people. And you can't get that from the internet.
All the books and movies and stuff made me wish during my childhood to one day own my very own elephant. One trip to the zoo was all I needed to learn the reality and focus on more sensible goals that offered relatively better odors.
What do you think? Should zoos stay or go? Read more!
See? I'm not going to make a blanket statement that says "never mess with tigers" or "leave the tigers alone" - because we're humans and we reign supreme and if you've got the proper training and experience in the profession, you can safely mess with the tigers. This kid was not a professional and shouldn't have been messing with the tigers, so I'm not going to shed any tears over the fact that it backfired on him and the tiger messed with him in return.
In fact, over the past few days, more and more facts have been rising to the surface and when you look at it, the tiger is certainly not to blame and the zoo isn't responsible either. It appears to be idiot kids doing something wrong and catching tiger-related hell for it.
For example, the empty vodka bottle found in the car of the boys, which leads one to believe that their heads were already in stupid mode as the events took place. Even though the police denied this fact, the New York Times reported that two of the boys were carrying slingshots. One witness even came forward and affirmed that taunting took place, saying that two of the mauling victims were "roaring"at the big cats. "They were trying to get that lion's attention. ... The lion was bristling. ... Their behavior was disturbing. They kept doing it." While the witness may not prove the best at discerning between lions and tigers, the witness certainly knows that there was malicious intent and taunting taking place.
Once you've got all of that in your head, can you really find these kids as the "innocent victims" people are claiming them to be?
So then, of course, comes the question of whether or not zoos should be "acceptable" in this new generation. People do have a point in saying that the internet is responsible for conveying a lot of information that didn't used to be so readily available. In the olden days, the only way you could show a child the wonders of the elephant were in books and old National Geographic films complete with creepy film graininess and a boring voiceover. Or you went to a zoo and saw an elephant in real life, usually accompanied by a boring voiceover provided by your zoo tour guide. Now, you can just Google "elephant" and get images, videos and all of the encyclopaedic knowledge in mere seconds.
But I pose the question: Is all that technology really going to convey the magnificence of seeing an elephant in reality?
I, for one, say that it won't. But of course, I was from a generation on the cusp - having to get most of my knowledge the old-fashioned way throughout childhood just so a few years later in my teen years the internet blossomed into what it is today so I can at least attempt a comparison. I've seen elephants in the zoo. And they are BIG. Not as big today as they were when I was relatively smaller, but I've seen all the YouTube and Wikipedia and I have to say that there's no comparison. Hands down, the zoo lets you know what an elephant is REALLY like.
Does it accurately portray an elephant living in the wild? No.
Is it still a real elephant that can instill wonderment in a child and spark the imagination? You bet your ass it is.
Plus, not only can you learn about the real live animal and what it looks like and even funny things trainers will do with them in a zoo show - you get to learn that animals stink. Say what you will about video versus reality in the sense of children learning about how large the elephant is - only the zoo can accurately convey the information of how much wild animals stink. The poo is the real learning factor, people. And you can't get that from the internet.
All the books and movies and stuff made me wish during my childhood to one day own my very own elephant. One trip to the zoo was all I needed to learn the reality and focus on more sensible goals that offered relatively better odors.
What do you think? Should zoos stay or go? Read more!
Sunday, January 06, 2008
PETA Loves Jail?
Okay, so in one of my random visits to the PETA website, looking for fuel for my anti-PETA fire, I had initially stumbled onto a link to GoVeg.com and their "Top Ten Reasons to go Vegetarian in 2008" article, which enraged me horribly. For starters, three of their Top Ten reasons were about being healthy and happy. I know plenty of fat and miserable vegetarians. I'll have to save that rant for another day, because I later stumbled onto a PETA Top Ten list that dumbfounded me.
I'd heard about their list of the top ten vegetarian-friendly colleges. I guess if we shovel all of the college-age liberal hippies into select locations, the sane people will know which ones to avoid. I've got little problem with shining a light on college hippie liberalism and all that jazz. And then there was a reference to the top ten vegetarian-friendly ballparks. This started worrying me, because I didn't think people went to ballparks to enjoy anything other than beer, peanuts, crackerjack, and um that sport. I think it's called "baseball" or something. So apparently baseball isn't a sport that has pissed PETA off yet (unlike basketball and football) and PETA is rewarding those ballparks offering attendees some vegetarian options (because apparently nachos, beer and peanuts aren't good enough for some people). Fine. Promote tourism and try and suck up enough to maybe get ballparks to return the favor somehow. I can stomach that quid-pro-quo of sleazy business.
That's when this article came up: "Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Prisons!"
Words fail me.
Okay, now words are passing once again and I can rant about this. PETA has run out of venues that lots of people wind up at and might be interested in a vegetarian cuisine, so they offered up a list of PRISONS that cater to the herbivores among the captives. Somehow they bothered to catch on that people would think "um, so they're trying to convince people to go to jail?" and offered this statement: "I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if this latest top 10 list gets you all amped about the prospect of going to one of these prisons, you may want to set some slightly more ambitious goals for yourself … but for the people who—through bad luck or poor planning—are on their way there, this will come as some very good news."
So then they go into a shpiel about prisoners who want to better themselves, or possibly punish their taste buds as much as their prison-raped anuses, and eventually go into the list of vegetarian-friendly prisons and the menu items they offer which got them on the list. Some of these items just sound incredibly terrible...
Vegan hot cakes (I hope this is talking about pancakes and not something else), meatless chicken macaroni casserole (which most of us would call "macaroni casserole", but they apparently put fake chicken in it), soy Salisbury steak (as if regular Salisbury steak served at a prison weren't bad enough), baked macaroni crumble (it shouldn't count on the list if it doesn't say "vegetarian or vegan" since that's just a regular item! That's like saying they're vegetarian-friendly because they serve Diet Coke!) and possibly one of the grossest menu items I've heard of: vegetarian shepherd’s pie with texturized vegetable protein. I don't know where to begin with insulting this dish. I eat Slim Jims, which contain on their ingrediant list "mechanically separated chicken" - and you know what? That still sounds more appetizing than "texturized vegetable protein" ever will!
It gets better, though. They thought that naming these prisons would bring some kind of glory to them in some way - that they'd be thanked for bringing this vegetarian-friendliness to light - and that's just not the case. North Dakota (#10 on the list) offered these responses:
Wade Moser, executive director of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association in Bismarck, wouldn't bite. "It's just one of the tactics PETA uses to get attention," he said. "It doesn't deserve comment."
Tim Schuetzle, warden of the North Dakota pen and director of the state prison system, said the inclusion of vegetarian meals on his menu "really was in response to religious diets" required by some prisoners.
"It's a tenet of their religion that they don't eat meat," he said. "There are some who have special diets for medical reasons, too. It's not like the prison is promoting vegetarianism or coddling prisoners with a fancy dining experience, he said. "We're not saying, 'Here's our salad bar, and would you like tofu with that?'"
Even more luckily, the non-vegan egg on PETA's face gets even stickier when I found out that one of PETA's biggest and most-popular current enemies might not be in jail for as long as they thought!
That's right - Michael Vick might not be in jail quite as long as originally planned. PETA advocates were practically dancing when the judge ruled a 23-month sentence was in order, which is typically a longer sentence considering the crime. Yahoo! Sports is reporting, though, that it's possible he might be able to shave 12 months off that sentence. It's all because of marijuana, too. The same failed drug test that could possibly have led to the increased prison sentence might prove to be the reason for a reduced sentence.
Apparently the drug treatment program he was able to enter into thanks to the positive test for marijuana, which is only in place at the Leavenworth federal penitentiary, allows inmates to wipe off up to a year of their sentence if they complete the drug treatment program. Thing is, in order to get the time cut off his sentence, he'd have to be in the program for a year. And since he hasn't started yet, he's still looking at a good chunk of his sentence. Even so, he might only have to serve 12 or 13 months of the 23-month sentence because of it, and Yahoo! Sports said (possibly jokingly) that he could be back for the 2009 football season.
I mean provided he gets his indefinite suspension lifted, passes various drug tests, and finds a team that would sign him after all of this negative press surrounding him that would certainly taint any team that hires him.
But hey, stranger things have happened. And I'd just love to see PETA get all ruffled about their victory becoming a disgraceful defeat in the end...
(The PETA article about veggie-friendly prisons)
(The response from North Dakota)
(The article about Michael Vick)
Read more!
I'd heard about their list of the top ten vegetarian-friendly colleges. I guess if we shovel all of the college-age liberal hippies into select locations, the sane people will know which ones to avoid. I've got little problem with shining a light on college hippie liberalism and all that jazz. And then there was a reference to the top ten vegetarian-friendly ballparks. This started worrying me, because I didn't think people went to ballparks to enjoy anything other than beer, peanuts, crackerjack, and um that sport. I think it's called "baseball" or something. So apparently baseball isn't a sport that has pissed PETA off yet (unlike basketball and football) and PETA is rewarding those ballparks offering attendees some vegetarian options (because apparently nachos, beer and peanuts aren't good enough for some people). Fine. Promote tourism and try and suck up enough to maybe get ballparks to return the favor somehow. I can stomach that quid-pro-quo of sleazy business.
That's when this article came up: "Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Prisons!"
Words fail me.
Okay, now words are passing once again and I can rant about this. PETA has run out of venues that lots of people wind up at and might be interested in a vegetarian cuisine, so they offered up a list of PRISONS that cater to the herbivores among the captives. Somehow they bothered to catch on that people would think "um, so they're trying to convince people to go to jail?" and offered this statement: "I’m going to go out on a limb and say that if this latest top 10 list gets you all amped about the prospect of going to one of these prisons, you may want to set some slightly more ambitious goals for yourself … but for the people who—through bad luck or poor planning—are on their way there, this will come as some very good news."
So then they go into a shpiel about prisoners who want to better themselves, or possibly punish their taste buds as much as their prison-raped anuses, and eventually go into the list of vegetarian-friendly prisons and the menu items they offer which got them on the list. Some of these items just sound incredibly terrible...
Vegan hot cakes (I hope this is talking about pancakes and not something else), meatless chicken macaroni casserole (which most of us would call "macaroni casserole", but they apparently put fake chicken in it), soy Salisbury steak (as if regular Salisbury steak served at a prison weren't bad enough), baked macaroni crumble (it shouldn't count on the list if it doesn't say "vegetarian or vegan" since that's just a regular item! That's like saying they're vegetarian-friendly because they serve Diet Coke!) and possibly one of the grossest menu items I've heard of: vegetarian shepherd’s pie with texturized vegetable protein. I don't know where to begin with insulting this dish. I eat Slim Jims, which contain on their ingrediant list "mechanically separated chicken" - and you know what? That still sounds more appetizing than "texturized vegetable protein" ever will!
It gets better, though. They thought that naming these prisons would bring some kind of glory to them in some way - that they'd be thanked for bringing this vegetarian-friendliness to light - and that's just not the case. North Dakota (#10 on the list) offered these responses:
Wade Moser, executive director of the North Dakota Stockmen's Association in Bismarck, wouldn't bite. "It's just one of the tactics PETA uses to get attention," he said. "It doesn't deserve comment."
Tim Schuetzle, warden of the North Dakota pen and director of the state prison system, said the inclusion of vegetarian meals on his menu "really was in response to religious diets" required by some prisoners.
"It's a tenet of their religion that they don't eat meat," he said. "There are some who have special diets for medical reasons, too. It's not like the prison is promoting vegetarianism or coddling prisoners with a fancy dining experience, he said. "We're not saying, 'Here's our salad bar, and would you like tofu with that?'"
Even more luckily, the non-vegan egg on PETA's face gets even stickier when I found out that one of PETA's biggest and most-popular current enemies might not be in jail for as long as they thought!
That's right - Michael Vick might not be in jail quite as long as originally planned. PETA advocates were practically dancing when the judge ruled a 23-month sentence was in order, which is typically a longer sentence considering the crime. Yahoo! Sports is reporting, though, that it's possible he might be able to shave 12 months off that sentence. It's all because of marijuana, too. The same failed drug test that could possibly have led to the increased prison sentence might prove to be the reason for a reduced sentence.
Apparently the drug treatment program he was able to enter into thanks to the positive test for marijuana, which is only in place at the Leavenworth federal penitentiary, allows inmates to wipe off up to a year of their sentence if they complete the drug treatment program. Thing is, in order to get the time cut off his sentence, he'd have to be in the program for a year. And since he hasn't started yet, he's still looking at a good chunk of his sentence. Even so, he might only have to serve 12 or 13 months of the 23-month sentence because of it, and Yahoo! Sports said (possibly jokingly) that he could be back for the 2009 football season.
I mean provided he gets his indefinite suspension lifted, passes various drug tests, and finds a team that would sign him after all of this negative press surrounding him that would certainly taint any team that hires him.
But hey, stranger things have happened. And I'd just love to see PETA get all ruffled about their victory becoming a disgraceful defeat in the end...
(The PETA article about veggie-friendly prisons)
(The response from North Dakota)
(The article about Michael Vick)
Read more!
Friday, January 04, 2008
Don't Vote?
First I want to say that yes - I plan on voting in the '08 elections. I plan on voting every time I get the chance, especially city and state votes. No matter how much you despise the political machine, you have to recognize that all of the cogs in that machine are the citizens of voting age, and the only way to affect the outcome of the machine is to do what you can as a cog and see what outcomes you can make possible.
So I guess it's time to look at the collective cogs over in Iowa for this "caucus" thing I keep hearing about. I don't know if it's just me, but every time I see "caucus" all I can think about is "raucous" - which inevitably is more of a synonym than anything else. The events seem like a boisterous and disorderly jumble of voters and people with confetti yelling and accomplishing little other than start off one in a long series of pissing contests.
I say "pissing contests" loosely, because the goal of any REAL pissing contest (as regulated by the Urinary Competition League) is distance or volume or something measurable - whereas these pissing contests feature people lined up on each side, pissing at each other. Clearly it's impossible to determine a winner, other than the Least Covered in Piss award. You can't even evaluate teams, because standing on one side of the line doesn't mean that people on the same side won't be pissing on you all the same. And sorry to all you femenists out there, but pissing contests are traditionally a man's game, seeing as we're better equipped to compete. You're more than welcome to participate, but you can't piss and moan about needing a handicap. Well, you can piss - but as I said, probably not as well as men.
Following on that train of thought, Obama beat out Clinton (the female one) in this Iowa Caucus. With all Democratic precincts reporting, Obama had the support of 38 percent of voters, compared to 30 percent for John Edwards and 29 percent for Hillary Clinton. Bill Richardson came in fourth and has decided to continue onward to New Hampshire (the next pissing contest venue) - while Chris Dodd and Joe Biden have reportedly dropped out of the running.
With 92 percent of Republican precincts reporting, Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, had the support of 34 percent of voters, compared to 25 percent for Romney. Fred Thompson had 13 percent, McCain had 13 percent and Ron Paul had 10 percent. Huckabee attributes his jump from single-digit numbers a few weeks ago to the rallying of evangelicals and other social conservatives. "We won the silver ... You win the silver in one event. It doesn't mean you're not going to come back and win the gold in the final event, and that we are going to do," Romney said.
The fact that there even ARE caucuses in the first place just illustrates the point that the whole "popular vote" is a myth. While it's totally true that in the final election for president one candidate can have more individual votes than all of the other candidates, I'd hardly call that the "popular vote" and I'd never call it a "majority" - I might admit to calling it the "most votes" or something like that. I mean, if you divide up the voting population, with a whole half-n-half Red and Blue (and whatever Independant would be, lost in the sea of red and blue), you have to recognize that each side doesn't wholeheartedly believe in their candidate. I mean, trusting a politician is definitely the wrong choice of words, but it's that there are primaries and caucuses where chunks of voters are disillusioned. So you'll never have a majority vote.
No matter how much I dislike the process, though, I'm not a nutcase like one of my old high-school friends. I received an E-mail saying that someone had invited me to a group on Facebook. The name of the group is what stopped me mid-thought as my blood started boiling: "Don't Vote in 2008"
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7815999347
Seriously. I cannot make this idiocy up. Get an eyeful of the group's description!
This group is for anyone thoroughly disenchanted with the electoral college, the US political system and the bullshit that every single presidential candidate spews on a daily basis. For those who don't want more of the same in 2008 and beyond, or for those who don't want a system where a person can win the popular vote and yet still lose the election, don't vote.
Take direct action. Write or e-mail your congresspersons. Start a rally, a protest, or a passive-aggressive Facebook group. Whatever you do, don't buy into the bullshit any more. DON'T VOTE.
My favorite bit of irony is that the people this group is directing its members to contact are congresspersons. You're fighting the machine by TRUSTING the machine?? I really don't know what this group even wants as a result! It apparently wants to change the way that the political machine works, but doesn't want to do that with the logical process of voting for new people in charge who can make the changes or voting for any changes themselves?
I'm totally hoping that none of them come to the shocking revelation that getting people aligned to their cause and NOT voting means that every vote by people NOT aligned to their cause becomes more effective. In fact, I'm totally hoping that my posting this, I can bring some publicity to their little Facebook group and get more idiots to join and not vote and make things easier for the rest of the cogs who are trying to make things happen by actually voting and doing our part in helping to lead the country.
In fact, maybe I should just make my own group, called "Don't Vote in 2008 (if you disagree with my views)" or something like that.
But seriously, you should vote and do your part come Election Day. Unless you disagree with my views.
(Here's where I got the Iowa Caucus numbers)
Read more!
So I guess it's time to look at the collective cogs over in Iowa for this "caucus" thing I keep hearing about. I don't know if it's just me, but every time I see "caucus" all I can think about is "raucous" - which inevitably is more of a synonym than anything else. The events seem like a boisterous and disorderly jumble of voters and people with confetti yelling and accomplishing little other than start off one in a long series of pissing contests.
I say "pissing contests" loosely, because the goal of any REAL pissing contest (as regulated by the Urinary Competition League) is distance or volume or something measurable - whereas these pissing contests feature people lined up on each side, pissing at each other. Clearly it's impossible to determine a winner, other than the Least Covered in Piss award. You can't even evaluate teams, because standing on one side of the line doesn't mean that people on the same side won't be pissing on you all the same. And sorry to all you femenists out there, but pissing contests are traditionally a man's game, seeing as we're better equipped to compete. You're more than welcome to participate, but you can't piss and moan about needing a handicap. Well, you can piss - but as I said, probably not as well as men.
Following on that train of thought, Obama beat out Clinton (the female one) in this Iowa Caucus. With all Democratic precincts reporting, Obama had the support of 38 percent of voters, compared to 30 percent for John Edwards and 29 percent for Hillary Clinton. Bill Richardson came in fourth and has decided to continue onward to New Hampshire (the next pissing contest venue) - while Chris Dodd and Joe Biden have reportedly dropped out of the running.
With 92 percent of Republican precincts reporting, Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, had the support of 34 percent of voters, compared to 25 percent for Romney. Fred Thompson had 13 percent, McCain had 13 percent and Ron Paul had 10 percent. Huckabee attributes his jump from single-digit numbers a few weeks ago to the rallying of evangelicals and other social conservatives. "We won the silver ... You win the silver in one event. It doesn't mean you're not going to come back and win the gold in the final event, and that we are going to do," Romney said.
The fact that there even ARE caucuses in the first place just illustrates the point that the whole "popular vote" is a myth. While it's totally true that in the final election for president one candidate can have more individual votes than all of the other candidates, I'd hardly call that the "popular vote" and I'd never call it a "majority" - I might admit to calling it the "most votes" or something like that. I mean, if you divide up the voting population, with a whole half-n-half Red and Blue (and whatever Independant would be, lost in the sea of red and blue), you have to recognize that each side doesn't wholeheartedly believe in their candidate. I mean, trusting a politician is definitely the wrong choice of words, but it's that there are primaries and caucuses where chunks of voters are disillusioned. So you'll never have a majority vote.
No matter how much I dislike the process, though, I'm not a nutcase like one of my old high-school friends. I received an E-mail saying that someone had invited me to a group on Facebook. The name of the group is what stopped me mid-thought as my blood started boiling: "Don't Vote in 2008"
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7815999347
Seriously. I cannot make this idiocy up. Get an eyeful of the group's description!
This group is for anyone thoroughly disenchanted with the electoral college, the US political system and the bullshit that every single presidential candidate spews on a daily basis. For those who don't want more of the same in 2008 and beyond, or for those who don't want a system where a person can win the popular vote and yet still lose the election, don't vote.
Take direct action. Write or e-mail your congresspersons. Start a rally, a protest, or a passive-aggressive Facebook group. Whatever you do, don't buy into the bullshit any more. DON'T VOTE.
My favorite bit of irony is that the people this group is directing its members to contact are congresspersons. You're fighting the machine by TRUSTING the machine?? I really don't know what this group even wants as a result! It apparently wants to change the way that the political machine works, but doesn't want to do that with the logical process of voting for new people in charge who can make the changes or voting for any changes themselves?
I'm totally hoping that none of them come to the shocking revelation that getting people aligned to their cause and NOT voting means that every vote by people NOT aligned to their cause becomes more effective. In fact, I'm totally hoping that my posting this, I can bring some publicity to their little Facebook group and get more idiots to join and not vote and make things easier for the rest of the cogs who are trying to make things happen by actually voting and doing our part in helping to lead the country.
In fact, maybe I should just make my own group, called "Don't Vote in 2008 (if you disagree with my views)" or something like that.
But seriously, you should vote and do your part come Election Day. Unless you disagree with my views.
(Here's where I got the Iowa Caucus numbers)
Read more!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Letter to RedEye: Doomsday Gloom Days
Just felt like writing in a letter to Hey CTA in the RedEye. It's a little call-to-arms for all of the bus lines getting the axe in a few weeks to cheer up a little. Die with your head held high, because right now... Well, it's explained in the letter.
(As always, if they publish anything, I'll make it bold in an update.)
Doomsday Gloom Days
My bus drivers have been getting grumpier and less friendly over the past few days. I frankly don't blame them for feeling that way, but it's rather rough on the customers who are trying to enjoy the last few days we have together. I remember it like it was just two weeks ago - because it was - and my #44 bus driver actually flagged down a #62 bus on the opposite side of the street so that it would stay there for a minute while an elderly passenger disembarked and crossed the street to transfer without having to stand out in the cold at the Halsted station waiting for the next one. Friendly smiles, salutations and reminders to "watch your step" now seem like fading memories.
The change happened just after Christmas, probably as all the CTA employees got nothing in the stockings except reminders of the Doomsday money shortage. By January 1st, all hope seems to have faded from their eyes, and it feels like they're transferring their wrath onto the passengers. My bus line is being executed on January 20th and there's no call from the governor yet. In fact, the governor is just taunting my bus line, saying he'd LIKE to call and issue a pardon, but there's a bad phone connection and the operator keeps hanging up on him and "yadda yadda yadda" you're going to die, just like all the others.
In just two days, I've heard more complaints about my slated-to-die bus line than I've heard in the past two weeks, and in those two weeks it's been more than I've heard in months and months. My bus line is often neglected, rarely fully-functional and yet still ran on-time with moderately-friendly service at worst. Now, it's running 15 minutes late at times, kicking off my friend who was having a card issue and I even heard of one bus driver texting while at the wheel and the bus was in motion.
Please, bus drivers on lines slated to die, don't make this as hard on your passengers as I'm sure it must be for you. I understand that your job is on the line and nobody can tell you it's going to be okay. But please, if you have to die - at least die with your head held high. Remember to be kind to us, and we'll return the favor by trying to make your last days as comfortable as possible.
Trust me, we're going to miss you when you're gone.
Aaron Samuels, 24, Bridgeport Read more!
(As always, if they publish anything, I'll make it bold in an update.)
Doomsday Gloom Days
My bus drivers have been getting grumpier and less friendly over the past few days. I frankly don't blame them for feeling that way, but it's rather rough on the customers who are trying to enjoy the last few days we have together. I remember it like it was just two weeks ago - because it was - and my #44 bus driver actually flagged down a #62 bus on the opposite side of the street so that it would stay there for a minute while an elderly passenger disembarked and crossed the street to transfer without having to stand out in the cold at the Halsted station waiting for the next one. Friendly smiles, salutations and reminders to "watch your step" now seem like fading memories.
The change happened just after Christmas, probably as all the CTA employees got nothing in the stockings except reminders of the Doomsday money shortage. By January 1st, all hope seems to have faded from their eyes, and it feels like they're transferring their wrath onto the passengers. My bus line is being executed on January 20th and there's no call from the governor yet. In fact, the governor is just taunting my bus line, saying he'd LIKE to call and issue a pardon, but there's a bad phone connection and the operator keeps hanging up on him and "yadda yadda yadda" you're going to die, just like all the others.
In just two days, I've heard more complaints about my slated-to-die bus line than I've heard in the past two weeks, and in those two weeks it's been more than I've heard in months and months. My bus line is often neglected, rarely fully-functional and yet still ran on-time with moderately-friendly service at worst. Now, it's running 15 minutes late at times, kicking off my friend who was having a card issue and I even heard of one bus driver texting while at the wheel and the bus was in motion.
Please, bus drivers on lines slated to die, don't make this as hard on your passengers as I'm sure it must be for you. I understand that your job is on the line and nobody can tell you it's going to be okay. But please, if you have to die - at least die with your head held high. Remember to be kind to us, and we'll return the favor by trying to make your last days as comfortable as possible.
Trust me, we're going to miss you when you're gone.
Aaron Samuels, 24, Bridgeport Read more!
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
New 2008 Laws
Usually I've been ripping purely on the fact that I dislike that Illinois is now yet another state with a total smoking ban and that is now effective as of Tuesday. But Illinois certainly wasn't the only state in the union that decided to put your tax dollars to work and churn up some new laws! Let's take a look around the country and shine some light on other January 1st laws now in effect, shall we?
Just so this isn't an "all these laws are stupid" article, I'm going to throw in some good laws, too. And some laws that some of you will think are good, even if I disagree.
Let's start off with a silly one, though. In California, it is now legal to import shoes and sportswear made from kangaroo hides. (In other news, apparently before 2008 it was NOT legal to import kangaroo hide footwear into California!)
In Minnesota, you can now only sell American flags that were actually made in America. I guess we've decided that American flags made in China are too at-risk for lead poisoning, though you should remind your children anyway that eating the American flag is probably an act of treason anyway, so lead poisoning would be the least of their worries.
If you plan on selling a home in Texas, you now legally have to disclose if it was ever a methamphetamine factory. Large explosion marks are no longer a standard warning - it's just like a used car history report, and any meth lab status has to be reported to the prospective buyers.
New Hampshire is the latest state to jump on the same-sex civil union train, and in Oregon domestic partnership procedures now apply for same-sex couples. Massachusetts is still the only state to offer same-sex marriages.
While most of my readers are aware of the Illinois general smoking ban, in California it is now illegal to smoke while driving - if there is a minor present in the vehicle. Rather than attest this driving law to keeping drivers focused and avoiding accidents, the state is using the logic that "the minor is trapped in an unhealthy environment." Luckily, some states out there ARE thinking about drivers and keeping them focused. In Oregon, drivers under 18 are now not allowed to use cellphones. In Washington, all drivers are now forbidden to text message behind the wheel. Seriously, how idiotic are you if you're text messaging behind the wheel of a vehicle in motion? Darwin really need to pick up the pace and get these morons out of the gene pool as quickly as possible. If it weren't for the other drivers, I'd prefer to just wait it out until these genetic rejects all get themselves killed!
In New York, the Passenger's Bill of Rights is now in effect, brought about by an incident in which a JetBlue aircraft was left on the tarmac for a 10-hour delay. Now thanks to this law, airlines must provide fresh food, water, air and clean restrooms for passengers on any aircraft stuck on a tarmac for more than three hours. I'd hope for an amendment to this Bill of Rights that states that at least one flight official somewhere in the corporate chain get hauled out and shot for any aircraft stuck on a tarmac for more than three hours. (Anyone who has been stuck on a tarmac for more than three hours will agree that this is a fair compensation, knowing that someone was put to death because of this inconvenience.)
Other horrible incidents that led to 2008 state laws would be the "Mel Gibson law" now in effect in California. The incidents involving Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic rant, as well as the Paris Hilton arrest in June, have sparked this law that makes it a misdemeanor for a peace officer or law enforcement employee to leak confidential information for financial gain. I was pretty sure it was already illegal to leak this information to gossip web sites, especially with the financial gain stuff! Apparently it needed a new law all about it.
A more friendly law coming from California would have to be the new law that allows redemption of gift cards for cash if the balance is less than ten dollars. The California lawmaker responsible for this bill's creation said that it was prompted by her frustration with a multitude of gift cards in her possession that only had a few dollars left.
Also in California, sperm donations will no longer be turned down from HIV-positive men. There is enough new technology available that can safely cleanse sperm of the virus, so men infected with HIV can now use his sperm in the artificial insemenation process after consent and cleansing. Also, HIV testing is now considered a routine part of physical exams, but patients can decline the test during their appointments.
Lastly, Arizona has taken a huge stand against illegal immigration by enacting the new state law that businesses will be stripped of their licenses for knowingly hiring undocumented workers. This goes far beyond the relatively-pithy fines that have become law in some states and cities, and perhaps a similar law increasing the penalty for landlords will arise in the near future.
These are just a sample of the laws that are now in effect as of midnight on Tuesday, January 1st. There are many more laws that have gone into effect, and I urge you to look up what laws in YOUR state are now in effect.
Do it now, before you wind up selling an un-American flag in Minnesota!
(One source of wacky new laws)
(Another source of wacky new laws)
(One more source of wacky new laws)
Read more!
Just so this isn't an "all these laws are stupid" article, I'm going to throw in some good laws, too. And some laws that some of you will think are good, even if I disagree.
Let's start off with a silly one, though. In California, it is now legal to import shoes and sportswear made from kangaroo hides. (In other news, apparently before 2008 it was NOT legal to import kangaroo hide footwear into California!)
In Minnesota, you can now only sell American flags that were actually made in America. I guess we've decided that American flags made in China are too at-risk for lead poisoning, though you should remind your children anyway that eating the American flag is probably an act of treason anyway, so lead poisoning would be the least of their worries.
If you plan on selling a home in Texas, you now legally have to disclose if it was ever a methamphetamine factory. Large explosion marks are no longer a standard warning - it's just like a used car history report, and any meth lab status has to be reported to the prospective buyers.
New Hampshire is the latest state to jump on the same-sex civil union train, and in Oregon domestic partnership procedures now apply for same-sex couples. Massachusetts is still the only state to offer same-sex marriages.
While most of my readers are aware of the Illinois general smoking ban, in California it is now illegal to smoke while driving - if there is a minor present in the vehicle. Rather than attest this driving law to keeping drivers focused and avoiding accidents, the state is using the logic that "the minor is trapped in an unhealthy environment." Luckily, some states out there ARE thinking about drivers and keeping them focused. In Oregon, drivers under 18 are now not allowed to use cellphones. In Washington, all drivers are now forbidden to text message behind the wheel. Seriously, how idiotic are you if you're text messaging behind the wheel of a vehicle in motion? Darwin really need to pick up the pace and get these morons out of the gene pool as quickly as possible. If it weren't for the other drivers, I'd prefer to just wait it out until these genetic rejects all get themselves killed!
In New York, the Passenger's Bill of Rights is now in effect, brought about by an incident in which a JetBlue aircraft was left on the tarmac for a 10-hour delay. Now thanks to this law, airlines must provide fresh food, water, air and clean restrooms for passengers on any aircraft stuck on a tarmac for more than three hours. I'd hope for an amendment to this Bill of Rights that states that at least one flight official somewhere in the corporate chain get hauled out and shot for any aircraft stuck on a tarmac for more than three hours. (Anyone who has been stuck on a tarmac for more than three hours will agree that this is a fair compensation, knowing that someone was put to death because of this inconvenience.)
Other horrible incidents that led to 2008 state laws would be the "Mel Gibson law" now in effect in California. The incidents involving Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic rant, as well as the Paris Hilton arrest in June, have sparked this law that makes it a misdemeanor for a peace officer or law enforcement employee to leak confidential information for financial gain. I was pretty sure it was already illegal to leak this information to gossip web sites, especially with the financial gain stuff! Apparently it needed a new law all about it.
A more friendly law coming from California would have to be the new law that allows redemption of gift cards for cash if the balance is less than ten dollars. The California lawmaker responsible for this bill's creation said that it was prompted by her frustration with a multitude of gift cards in her possession that only had a few dollars left.
Also in California, sperm donations will no longer be turned down from HIV-positive men. There is enough new technology available that can safely cleanse sperm of the virus, so men infected with HIV can now use his sperm in the artificial insemenation process after consent and cleansing. Also, HIV testing is now considered a routine part of physical exams, but patients can decline the test during their appointments.
Lastly, Arizona has taken a huge stand against illegal immigration by enacting the new state law that businesses will be stripped of their licenses for knowingly hiring undocumented workers. This goes far beyond the relatively-pithy fines that have become law in some states and cities, and perhaps a similar law increasing the penalty for landlords will arise in the near future.
These are just a sample of the laws that are now in effect as of midnight on Tuesday, January 1st. There are many more laws that have gone into effect, and I urge you to look up what laws in YOUR state are now in effect.
Do it now, before you wind up selling an un-American flag in Minnesota!
(One source of wacky new laws)
(Another source of wacky new laws)
(One more source of wacky new laws)
Read more!
Friday, December 28, 2007
Traditional Tea Ceremony
HOW TO HOST A TRADITIONAL JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY
With the winter months now setting in, thoughts turn to warm beverages shared by good friends. Perhaps cocoa is your beverage of choice when the snow starts falling. Others may turn to coffee as the night creeps in earlier and earlier. But I'm guessing you're a tea person, aren't you? Well the best way (well maybe not the best, for for the sake of this article I'm saying it anyway) to enjoy some lovely tea in the company of good friends is to have an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony. (Provided that the tea you had in mind all this time was green tea - I don't believe there's a traditional English Tea Ceremony for all of you Earl Grey fans out there, though I could be wrong.)
So, you think you're ready to host your own Japanese Tea Ceremony? Hopefully you've done a little bit of research and you're aware that it's not just a bunch of people getting together and pouring them all some name-brand canned "green tea" and playing your favorite J-Pop Mix CD and talking about which Inuyasha characters you all fantasize about while munching on some Pocky. The Japanese Tea Ceremony has a long and lavish history, requires dedication and poise, and a great deal of knowledge about the tools and the seasons themselves if you want it to be done correctly. The ceremony itself was started in the 9th century when a Buddhist monk first brought tea to Japan when he returned from China. The ritual of drinking the tea and meditating spread as a religious Buddhist ceremony, which was picked up by the samurai who used it as a ritual for meditation and focusing energies, and it eventually became a nationwide tradition in Japan due to its roots and principles: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.
In fact, you may want to start with preparing your calligraphy wall scrolls that contain philosophical sayings or key words/phrases - appropriate for the current season, time of day or central theme you have for the ceremony. Oh, you don't have calligraphy wall scrolls? Better go out and get some, or possibly learn to make them - I know how, but that's a subject for another time. Also make sure you have your chabana, "tea flowers", arranged around the room - high vases with seasonal flowers only, no filler and simple, usually only housing one full blossom per arrangement. Oh, you're not well-versed in the language of flowers and their meanings or connections to the seasons? Again, that's a topic for another day - try asking a flower expert or make an educated guess, I suppose. If you're having a FULL ceremony, make sure to have your kaiseki ready - the MEAL you plan on serving before the tea makes its entrance, usually accompanied by sake, Japanese rice-wine (if you're of proper age to be purchasing/serving alcohol).
Now that you're prepared the room, it's time to make sure you've got everything you need for your proper ceremony itself. Complete your checklist!
Chakin, the rectangular white cloth used to clean out your tea bowl.
Fukusa, the square silk cloth used to clean the other equipment and handle hot things.
Hishaku, the ladel used to either transfer water while preparing the tea or used in the ritual purification performed by guests before entering the tea room.
Tana, the "shelves" or technically any furniture placed in front of the host on which to prepare the tea.
Chawan, the tea bowl, which is the most important part. Shallow bowls are used in summer to cool tea down quickly, and taller bowls are used in winter.
Natsume, the tea caddy that contains your usucha-style matcha - used to make thin tea, the common variety.
Chashaku, the bamboo/ivory tea scoop used to transfer the matcha to the water.
Chasen, the bamboo one-piece whisk traditionally used to prepare the tea.
(optional) Cha-ire, the tea caddy that contains koicha-style matcha - used to make thick tea, which is not done in every tea ceremony.
Got it all? Then it's time to invite over some kimono-wearing guests and get ready to have a calm, tranquil Japanese Tea Ceremony! Don't forget to remind them to pack their kaishi, special rice papers used to hold sweets and kept in the breast of the kimono, if you plan on serving sweets instead of (or after) the traditional meal. Got them assembled already? Then let's press on and get this ceremony started! After all, the usual traditional tea ceremoney takes between an hour to five hours, depending on the meal possibility and variety of teas being served.
Step 1: After waiting in the garden or sitting room, when you beckon your guests into the tea room/house, they should all perform the cleansing ritual. They wash their hands and rinse their mouths with water. Then they can remove their shoes and enter the room where the tea ceremony will take place.
Step 2: Have your guests admire your calligraphy wall scrolls and flower arrangements that you placed in the room. Then have them sit seiza-style (butt on heels, feet-tops flat on floor, hands in lap, back straight) arranged clockwise from the host/ess' position in order of prestige. After all, the best guest should get their tea before the less-honored guests, wouldn't you agree? Of course you would, it's tradition!
Step 3: This is the time when you can serve your food. Serve either your kaiseki (that meal I suggested you prepare in advance) or go straight to the sweets, which your guests can eat from the kaishi you reminded them to bring, right?
Step 4: The ceremony begins. You present each of your utensils (bowl, whisk, tea scoop, ladel) and ritually wash and clean them. This must be done in front of your guests, out of respect for them so they can be sure they are clean. Dry them with their respective cloths. You may then put the matcha tea powder into the tea bowl, add hot water, and whisk. If you have both usucha and koicha matcha, use the thick tea first. When the tea is ready, you may ladel it into a bowl.
Step 5: The bowl is presented to the guest of honor, or the most-prestigious guest. Bows are exchanged, between host/ess and guest of honor, then between guest of honor and second-prestigious guest. The bowl is raised in respect/honor for the host/ess, rotates the bowl to NOT drink from the front, and takes a few sips. Prayers may be said between sips depending on the theme/reason for your tea ceremony. The rim is wiped clean, then the bowl is rotated back to original position. The bowl is passed as the next round of bowing goes, followed by the same procedure for drinking and passing. If thick tea is used, there is another round of tea-making and bowl-passing for the thin tea.
Step 6: When the last guest has enjoyed the tea, it is time to begin the cleanup of the tools. Usually the guest of honor will request the host/ess to allow everyone to inspect, examine and marvel at the tools that were used to create the fine tea(s) they drank. The tools are then collected up by the host/ess, and the guests are allowed to leave the tea room.
Congratulations! You've just performed a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony!
Read more!
With the winter months now setting in, thoughts turn to warm beverages shared by good friends. Perhaps cocoa is your beverage of choice when the snow starts falling. Others may turn to coffee as the night creeps in earlier and earlier. But I'm guessing you're a tea person, aren't you? Well the best way (well maybe not the best, for for the sake of this article I'm saying it anyway) to enjoy some lovely tea in the company of good friends is to have an authentic Japanese Tea Ceremony. (Provided that the tea you had in mind all this time was green tea - I don't believe there's a traditional English Tea Ceremony for all of you Earl Grey fans out there, though I could be wrong.)
So, you think you're ready to host your own Japanese Tea Ceremony? Hopefully you've done a little bit of research and you're aware that it's not just a bunch of people getting together and pouring them all some name-brand canned "green tea" and playing your favorite J-Pop Mix CD and talking about which Inuyasha characters you all fantasize about while munching on some Pocky. The Japanese Tea Ceremony has a long and lavish history, requires dedication and poise, and a great deal of knowledge about the tools and the seasons themselves if you want it to be done correctly. The ceremony itself was started in the 9th century when a Buddhist monk first brought tea to Japan when he returned from China. The ritual of drinking the tea and meditating spread as a religious Buddhist ceremony, which was picked up by the samurai who used it as a ritual for meditation and focusing energies, and it eventually became a nationwide tradition in Japan due to its roots and principles: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility.
In fact, you may want to start with preparing your calligraphy wall scrolls that contain philosophical sayings or key words/phrases - appropriate for the current season, time of day or central theme you have for the ceremony. Oh, you don't have calligraphy wall scrolls? Better go out and get some, or possibly learn to make them - I know how, but that's a subject for another time. Also make sure you have your chabana, "tea flowers", arranged around the room - high vases with seasonal flowers only, no filler and simple, usually only housing one full blossom per arrangement. Oh, you're not well-versed in the language of flowers and their meanings or connections to the seasons? Again, that's a topic for another day - try asking a flower expert or make an educated guess, I suppose. If you're having a FULL ceremony, make sure to have your kaiseki ready - the MEAL you plan on serving before the tea makes its entrance, usually accompanied by sake, Japanese rice-wine (if you're of proper age to be purchasing/serving alcohol).
Now that you're prepared the room, it's time to make sure you've got everything you need for your proper ceremony itself. Complete your checklist!
Chakin, the rectangular white cloth used to clean out your tea bowl.
Fukusa, the square silk cloth used to clean the other equipment and handle hot things.
Hishaku, the ladel used to either transfer water while preparing the tea or used in the ritual purification performed by guests before entering the tea room.
Tana, the "shelves" or technically any furniture placed in front of the host on which to prepare the tea.
Chawan, the tea bowl, which is the most important part. Shallow bowls are used in summer to cool tea down quickly, and taller bowls are used in winter.
Natsume, the tea caddy that contains your usucha-style matcha - used to make thin tea, the common variety.
Chashaku, the bamboo/ivory tea scoop used to transfer the matcha to the water.
Chasen, the bamboo one-piece whisk traditionally used to prepare the tea.
(optional) Cha-ire, the tea caddy that contains koicha-style matcha - used to make thick tea, which is not done in every tea ceremony.
Got it all? Then it's time to invite over some kimono-wearing guests and get ready to have a calm, tranquil Japanese Tea Ceremony! Don't forget to remind them to pack their kaishi, special rice papers used to hold sweets and kept in the breast of the kimono, if you plan on serving sweets instead of (or after) the traditional meal. Got them assembled already? Then let's press on and get this ceremony started! After all, the usual traditional tea ceremoney takes between an hour to five hours, depending on the meal possibility and variety of teas being served.
Step 1: After waiting in the garden or sitting room, when you beckon your guests into the tea room/house, they should all perform the cleansing ritual. They wash their hands and rinse their mouths with water. Then they can remove their shoes and enter the room where the tea ceremony will take place.
Step 2: Have your guests admire your calligraphy wall scrolls and flower arrangements that you placed in the room. Then have them sit seiza-style (butt on heels, feet-tops flat on floor, hands in lap, back straight) arranged clockwise from the host/ess' position in order of prestige. After all, the best guest should get their tea before the less-honored guests, wouldn't you agree? Of course you would, it's tradition!
Step 3: This is the time when you can serve your food. Serve either your kaiseki (that meal I suggested you prepare in advance) or go straight to the sweets, which your guests can eat from the kaishi you reminded them to bring, right?
Step 4: The ceremony begins. You present each of your utensils (bowl, whisk, tea scoop, ladel) and ritually wash and clean them. This must be done in front of your guests, out of respect for them so they can be sure they are clean. Dry them with their respective cloths. You may then put the matcha tea powder into the tea bowl, add hot water, and whisk. If you have both usucha and koicha matcha, use the thick tea first. When the tea is ready, you may ladel it into a bowl.
Step 5: The bowl is presented to the guest of honor, or the most-prestigious guest. Bows are exchanged, between host/ess and guest of honor, then between guest of honor and second-prestigious guest. The bowl is raised in respect/honor for the host/ess, rotates the bowl to NOT drink from the front, and takes a few sips. Prayers may be said between sips depending on the theme/reason for your tea ceremony. The rim is wiped clean, then the bowl is rotated back to original position. The bowl is passed as the next round of bowing goes, followed by the same procedure for drinking and passing. If thick tea is used, there is another round of tea-making and bowl-passing for the thin tea.
Step 6: When the last guest has enjoyed the tea, it is time to begin the cleanup of the tools. Usually the guest of honor will request the host/ess to allow everyone to inspect, examine and marvel at the tools that were used to create the fine tea(s) they drank. The tools are then collected up by the host/ess, and the guests are allowed to leave the tea room.
Congratulations! You've just performed a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony!
Read more!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Smoking and Other Bans
Hopefully by now you've gotten the message that I'm against the smoking ban. If you don't regularly read my blog, let this be your introduction to my hatred for this ban. I'm not as against it as the ban on the sale of foie gras, which is the most ridiculous ban I think I've heard of in the past few years, but I'm still very much against it. Maybe this will help illustrate why.
I'm not a smoker. This isn't about me wanting the ban to go away so I can smoke in places that aren't subzero in temperature. This is about civil liberties being taken away under the false pretenses of "benefitting the many over the benefits of the few" or some nonsense like that. You know, bleeding-heart liberal slogans designed to tug at heart-strings (possibly how the term 'bleeding-heart' came to be?) and basically saying under its breath "we pander to stupid people because stupid people vote in higher numbers and we want it to be for us." Here's a quote from the article I read this morning:
For health advocates, the ban represents a simple idea: The rights of an individual should not come before the health of all.
This is the biggest pile of nonsense I've heard in a while - thank goodness they put it so succinctly, because that makes it all the easier for me to mock it and illustrate a point. Several points, actually. Because it's horrible thinking like THAT which is going to be the end of us all. Forgive me if some of my arguments border on the "conspiracy theory" line, but I'm just following that "simple idea" as my mind takes me. Let's see what the future holds if this precedence holds and indeed dooms us all.
Ban on junk food. Well, the hot-button issue is the "obesity epidemic", which means that if obesity is threatening to somehow spread like a disease, then they can enact laws that take away your rights as an individual to eat how you want for the sake of the health of all. They already started with trans fats, didn't they? How long before they press onward? That basically opened the door, along with this precedence, to allow them to declare a ban on anything deemed by a panel of idiots (like the FCC of food) to be "unhealthy". All the good fast food places shut down, Hershey's goes bankrupt, as well as the Mars corporation. And probably Frito-Lay as well, since their "healthy" chips are disgusting and I doubt anyone buys them, even if there were no alternative good-tasting chips.
Ban on fat people. You think I'm joking, right? Well they already have a study showing some kind of correlation between having overweight friends and becoming overweight yourself. Which means that idiots will assume causation, and then obesity will be not only a regular disease but also a social disease to them, and then fat people are banned. We won't be allowed to socialize indoors in public places or within 15 feet of building entrances, lest someone have to talk to us and catch a bad case of obesity or something.
Ban on meat. Think the Atkins diet would help you become skinny enough to be allowed back inside buildings? Well you'd be quite out of luck, because once we have no fat people allowed in buildings to talk sense into the retarded PETA skinny-people brigades, they'll have their run of the show. They'll use their studies showing that cows and other ruminants cause XX billion tons of pollutants and global warming - yadda yadda yadda - all meat is banned for sale because the rights of an individual to eat meat should not come before the health of people who live in the environment being destroyed. (Even if we all know that without the meat industry, the cows will just continue to produce pollution because they're not being slaughtered to become tasty steaks that people can eat in order to save the world.)
Ban on food. All it's going to take is a few idiots who happen to get a peanut-based allergic reaction from being on a train with someone who just had a PB&J or crumbs in a break room resulting in an epinephrin-injection to resume breathing and then we're all up a creek without a paddle. Lawsuits ensue and then we've got mandates about foods. We won't be able to EAT indoors in public places or within 15 feet of building entrances, lest the allergy-prone have to be trapped with a food they're allergic to. Or just food that smells in a way they don't like. Think I'm insane? Follow the logic, and you'll likely get there, even if you're not insane. The rights of an individual to eat what and where they want should not come before the health of the feeble who just don't want to take precautions and place that responsibility on everyone but themselves.
You know, there used to be a thing called "survival of the fittest" where the strong go on to live and breed and the idiotic dumbasses ate too many marbles as kids and died. It's time to stop banning games with marbles that idiot children can eat and start focusing on teaching children to not eat marbles or they don't get to grow up and have kids of their own. I'm sick and tired of watching stupid behavior and wanting to remove the gonads of everyone in that family unit as a way of saying "your bloodline stops here, and the world will praise me for doing it." But I digress - back to the bans.
Ban on profanity. I'm not talking about record labels and TV/radio airwaves. I'm talking about cursing in general, just in everyday conversation. Sooner or later we'll get a study linking a child hearing a curse word and some kind of new psychological mental illness or even the ever-widening umbrella of A.D.D. or something. And the mental health of all, segue to the individual rights to freedom of speech, ergo a ban on profanity everywhere but inside your home and beyond the 15-foot building entrance lines now drawn out like bubbles because of all the bans in effect.
Ban on defending ourselves. Now I'm certainly in the "conspiracy theory" zone, but if all the above has palyed out to the point where we're all starved, weak, repressed agorophobes - we'll have lost our "superpower" status completely. Even Canada could just decide to walk right in and take over. It's more likely to be all of those Middle-Eastern regions that we've had the pleasure of declaring war on in the past. And seriously, once they start their suicide-bombing runs here in the U.S.A., we'd still be banned from even fighting back. Someone would argue that fighting back would cause more Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by fighting in a war to defend our country than the amount of PTSD generated by witnessing an ongoing stream of bombs going off and killing loved ones and other civilians. They'd argue it, and there would be no intelligent people like myself left to argue back due to a severe lack of steak. Our country would be doomed.
And that's how the smoking ban apparently kills us all. Remember that on January 1st, when the smoking ban takes effect. And horde your steak. For the good of the world, people.
EAT A STEAK - SAVE THE WORLD!
(An online version of the article I read in today's RedEye)
Read more!
I'm not a smoker. This isn't about me wanting the ban to go away so I can smoke in places that aren't subzero in temperature. This is about civil liberties being taken away under the false pretenses of "benefitting the many over the benefits of the few" or some nonsense like that. You know, bleeding-heart liberal slogans designed to tug at heart-strings (possibly how the term 'bleeding-heart' came to be?) and basically saying under its breath "we pander to stupid people because stupid people vote in higher numbers and we want it to be for us." Here's a quote from the article I read this morning:
For health advocates, the ban represents a simple idea: The rights of an individual should not come before the health of all.
This is the biggest pile of nonsense I've heard in a while - thank goodness they put it so succinctly, because that makes it all the easier for me to mock it and illustrate a point. Several points, actually. Because it's horrible thinking like THAT which is going to be the end of us all. Forgive me if some of my arguments border on the "conspiracy theory" line, but I'm just following that "simple idea" as my mind takes me. Let's see what the future holds if this precedence holds and indeed dooms us all.
Ban on junk food. Well, the hot-button issue is the "obesity epidemic", which means that if obesity is threatening to somehow spread like a disease, then they can enact laws that take away your rights as an individual to eat how you want for the sake of the health of all. They already started with trans fats, didn't they? How long before they press onward? That basically opened the door, along with this precedence, to allow them to declare a ban on anything deemed by a panel of idiots (like the FCC of food) to be "unhealthy". All the good fast food places shut down, Hershey's goes bankrupt, as well as the Mars corporation. And probably Frito-Lay as well, since their "healthy" chips are disgusting and I doubt anyone buys them, even if there were no alternative good-tasting chips.
Ban on fat people. You think I'm joking, right? Well they already have a study showing some kind of correlation between having overweight friends and becoming overweight yourself. Which means that idiots will assume causation, and then obesity will be not only a regular disease but also a social disease to them, and then fat people are banned. We won't be allowed to socialize indoors in public places or within 15 feet of building entrances, lest someone have to talk to us and catch a bad case of obesity or something.
Ban on meat. Think the Atkins diet would help you become skinny enough to be allowed back inside buildings? Well you'd be quite out of luck, because once we have no fat people allowed in buildings to talk sense into the retarded PETA skinny-people brigades, they'll have their run of the show. They'll use their studies showing that cows and other ruminants cause XX billion tons of pollutants and global warming - yadda yadda yadda - all meat is banned for sale because the rights of an individual to eat meat should not come before the health of people who live in the environment being destroyed. (Even if we all know that without the meat industry, the cows will just continue to produce pollution because they're not being slaughtered to become tasty steaks that people can eat in order to save the world.)
Ban on food. All it's going to take is a few idiots who happen to get a peanut-based allergic reaction from being on a train with someone who just had a PB&J or crumbs in a break room resulting in an epinephrin-injection to resume breathing and then we're all up a creek without a paddle. Lawsuits ensue and then we've got mandates about foods. We won't be able to EAT indoors in public places or within 15 feet of building entrances, lest the allergy-prone have to be trapped with a food they're allergic to. Or just food that smells in a way they don't like. Think I'm insane? Follow the logic, and you'll likely get there, even if you're not insane. The rights of an individual to eat what and where they want should not come before the health of the feeble who just don't want to take precautions and place that responsibility on everyone but themselves.
You know, there used to be a thing called "survival of the fittest" where the strong go on to live and breed and the idiotic dumbasses ate too many marbles as kids and died. It's time to stop banning games with marbles that idiot children can eat and start focusing on teaching children to not eat marbles or they don't get to grow up and have kids of their own. I'm sick and tired of watching stupid behavior and wanting to remove the gonads of everyone in that family unit as a way of saying "your bloodline stops here, and the world will praise me for doing it." But I digress - back to the bans.
Ban on profanity. I'm not talking about record labels and TV/radio airwaves. I'm talking about cursing in general, just in everyday conversation. Sooner or later we'll get a study linking a child hearing a curse word and some kind of new psychological mental illness or even the ever-widening umbrella of A.D.D. or something. And the mental health of all, segue to the individual rights to freedom of speech, ergo a ban on profanity everywhere but inside your home and beyond the 15-foot building entrance lines now drawn out like bubbles because of all the bans in effect.
Ban on defending ourselves. Now I'm certainly in the "conspiracy theory" zone, but if all the above has palyed out to the point where we're all starved, weak, repressed agorophobes - we'll have lost our "superpower" status completely. Even Canada could just decide to walk right in and take over. It's more likely to be all of those Middle-Eastern regions that we've had the pleasure of declaring war on in the past. And seriously, once they start their suicide-bombing runs here in the U.S.A., we'd still be banned from even fighting back. Someone would argue that fighting back would cause more Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder by fighting in a war to defend our country than the amount of PTSD generated by witnessing an ongoing stream of bombs going off and killing loved ones and other civilians. They'd argue it, and there would be no intelligent people like myself left to argue back due to a severe lack of steak. Our country would be doomed.
And that's how the smoking ban apparently kills us all. Remember that on January 1st, when the smoking ban takes effect. And horde your steak. For the good of the world, people.
EAT A STEAK - SAVE THE WORLD!
(An online version of the article I read in today's RedEye)
Read more!
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Interesting New Weight-Loss Surgery
I've recently been reading about an interesting new procedure that looks rather promising. It's called a lap-band procedure, which stands for Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Banding. Basically, they make small incisions to get inside, and then they place this inflatable silicone band around the upper portion of your stomach. This creates a smaller pouch for storing food, so you're not able to eat as much before feeling full. I'm sure that if you look, you can find the best lap-band Tampa facility to have this procedure done.
It sounds a lot like some similar medical procedures that limit stomach capacity to allow a smaller food storage capability, which leads to less eating and eventual weight-loss. I like this system because it doesn't involve damaging the integrity of the stomach itself, it's just a band that clamps off a section of the stomach without DAMAGING the stomach in any way.
All in all, sounds like a great system, and a procedure I might look into in the future.
This is a sponsored post for JourneyLite.
Read more!
It sounds a lot like some similar medical procedures that limit stomach capacity to allow a smaller food storage capability, which leads to less eating and eventual weight-loss. I like this system because it doesn't involve damaging the integrity of the stomach itself, it's just a band that clamps off a section of the stomach without DAMAGING the stomach in any way.
All in all, sounds like a great system, and a procedure I might look into in the future.
This is a sponsored post for JourneyLite.
MERII KURISUMASU!
For those of you who are unaware of the phonetic nature of the katakana alphabet of the Japanese language, that phrase translates to "Merry Christmas" - and is heard around Japan from November until Christmas Eve, even though less than 2% of the population is Christian.
So how - you might ask - do the Japanese have such a fondness for Christmas, and why - you might also ask - are they celebrating it in any way, shape or form at all?
The short answer: Marketing.
Like many holidays here in the United States, ranging from St. Patrick's Day to Valentine's Day to Secretary's Day - holidays provide a source of income to companies producing gifts, decorations, cards and other holiday-type items as the nature of the holiday demands it. In Japan, Valentine's Day has traditionally been the giving of chocolate from women to men. While the most special chocolates given are usually hand-made, chocolate companies profit greatly. Moreover, this holiday has a related holiday called White Day, celebrated on March 14th, one month after. On this day, men decided to thank the women who gave them gifts by giving THEM gifts in return. For younger males, this is traditionally a gift of cookies. For the adults, the most popular gift is actually lingerie. How do I know these holidays have been commercialized? It is widely-known that the White Day gift is meant to be twice the value of the Valentine's Day gift in order to be of proper thanks.
But I digress, this is about Christmas. And surely you must be saying, "There HAS to be more to Christmas in Japan than your answer of 'marketing' and profiteering." You'd certainly be right.
The long answer: Tradition.
The story of Christmas in Japan goes back quite a long time. Not as long, obviously, as Christian roots in the holiday, but starting around 1549 - when a Portuguese man named Francis Xavier first taught Japan about Christianity. Among the teachings of Christianity, of course, was the idea of Christmas - and the first recorded Japanese Christmas Mass was held at Yamaguchi Church in 1552 as popularity of the religion made its way throughout the country. This led to the "KAKURE", or "Secret Christians" who kept their religion secret and celebrated with Christmas carols sung in Latin, and this sect remains to this day. Why did they have to keep it a secret? Well, in 1639, National Isolation was imposed on Japan and they were shut off from the Western World for quite some time so there was little support religiously.
National Isolation was lifted in 1854 by naval Commodore Perry - and Japan took to the Western civilization once more. During/after WWI, American companies began ordering their Christmas products from Japan since Germany was no longer a viable source. All of the Christmas decorations and toys and aluminum Christmas trees slowly started seeping out from the factories and into the culture as Japan became the new "North Pole" for all things Christmas. After WWII and upon finding Hong Kong and Taiwan for cheaper mass production, the remnants of Christmas had moved from the factories to the Western shopping malls in Japan as the holiday was celebrated more in the spirit of the Western world than the Christian world.
This paradigm shift in Christmas from the Christian notions to the spirit of America and the rest of the Western world led to a great deal of Western traditions being implemented in the celebration of a Japanese Christmas. For example, the traditional Christmas dinner during decades past was "Hamburgers and Stew" in honor of the American style of cooking brought to Japan after the war. Eventually this shifted to another American food tradition - Fried Chicken. In fact, at Kentucky Fried Chicken and American-style restaurants, you can even place your Christmas Dinner orders in advance to reserve your family some of that glorious fried chicken. I read one account of a Japanese woman being asked why chicken, rather than turkey, was the traditional food. The response? "The ovens aren't big enough."
The other food from the Western world that made it big in Japan and became one of the few OFFICIAL Christmas symbols in the country: sponge cake. In fact, the combination of sponge cake, strawberries and whipped cream is the official "Christmas Cake" and NO Christmas celebration is complete in Japan without one. Bakeries even hire people (usually students and teenagers saving up to buy a special someone a gift) to advertise on the street to make sure every Christmas Cake is sold before Christmas Day. Why before then? Well, the Japanese really only celebrate Christmas Eve, and there is no use for a Christmas Cake on the day after. The Japanese are often flabbergasted when they learn that there is no "Christmas Cake" in America nor a hint of a tradition matching it, unless you accept the vague jump to "cookies and milk" left for Santa or the "gingerbread house" whose sole purpose seems to be a marketing push for gingerbread itself. The Christmas Cake in Japan is most related to the Christmas Tree in America in the "what would Christmas be without it" tradition category.
So speaking of Christmas Trees and saving up to buy someone a gift - what about the presents? After all, most children in America know Christmas by that tradition more than any other - the gifts! Well, presents in American Christmas celebrations are usually associated with Santa Claus, and in Japan, Santa is not so much of a mascot for the holiday as he is a mere logo. While he's seen on advertisements and commercials, he doesn't visit shopping malls and ask children what they'd like for Christmas. Even so, there is still gift-giving to be found. Parents give presents to children, but children never give gifts to parents. This is because parents give gifts to children only as long as they still believe in Santa Claus. Once they stop believing, or more likely figure it all out, there's no need to keep giving them gifts in his name - and there's less need for children to give gifts in return since there's no one to return the favor to.
Gifts ARE given to that "special someone". Somewhere along the lines (and believe me, I'M still trying to figure this gem out) of tradition, it became a belief that Christmastime was the best time to declare your love for someone. The act of "confessing" to your crush is often SAVED for the Christmas Eve night, since it's rumored that you will have extra luck in having someone confess back to you if you confess to them on Christmas Eve. Call it a "Christmas Miracle", if you will. This led to the giving of expensive gifts, as a bonus alongside the confession of love, and couples will often exchange gifts as it is a merchandise time of year and when special seasonal gifts are available.
Oh, I'm sorry. Did I make it all the way full-circle to Marketing?
Well, you can't blame the holiday for that. Japan tried to incorporate as much of the Western tradition as possible into their idea of Christmas, and eventually it fell into the same type of rut that America has been in for quite some time, which is why my short answer to the question of Christmas in Japan will remain to be "Marketing" - even though I admit to the long list of tradition as the longer and sappier answer.
Some other Western traditions have not yet been fully tainted in Japan, as is evident by one of the other major traditions that I learned about in my research. Remember how I said that Santa doesn't do his little mall-tour act? That's because there's something more interesting in the malls aside from Christmastime sales and cake-peddlers. It's the haunting chorus of "Hymn to Joy". That's right, the American Christian hymn spread to Japan and it often sung in shopping malls by large choruses as the words are sung in English. It's certainly a nice change of pace from the same flood of sappy Christmas music about reindeer and sleighs and jingling bells that pipe over loudspeakers in Japan just as much as here in America. In fact, the Japanese refer to this tradition as "Daiku" - which means "Great Nine". This is in honor of the fact that "Hymn to Joy" (or rather "Ode to Joy") is the fourth movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
Lastly, I'd like to mention that Christmas comes very close to the New Year holiday. Here in America, this fact is often drowned out by the Christmas celebration and festivities, as those last few days after recovering from parties and whatnot spark a quick interest in the American mind before it's time to find a partner to kiss at midnight and then make New Year's resolutions that are more than likely going to fail before February even draws near. In Japan, it's quite the opposite. While they may have fully embraced fried chicken and Christmas Cake and a bit of commercialism to back it all up, they overshadow Christmas with New Year's traditions. New Year's is really the time that they sit down as a family and have memorable get-togethers and a big feast and heartfelt joy. Christmas is a one-night fling that involves couples more than families and although they're reminded of it almost as long as we are here in America, the actual preparation for the event lasts as long as we Americans prepare for the New Year's Eve.
Even so, in conclusion, Christmas is a big deal in Japan - even without a large population of Christians to back it up. It's based on tradition as much as it is a spread of ideas passed down across an ocean as they embrace their long-distance neighbors' spirit for the holiday. Hopefully this humble article has instilled in you not only the knowledge of how and why Christmas came to Japan and continues there to this day - but also a little insight into the holiday itself and a few of the things beneath the surface. In turn, when someone asks YOU why you celebrate Christmas here in America - you'll remember that although the short answer to the question can often be seen as "Marketing", there's always a longer answer and a lot of thought to give to the "Tradition" and the spirit of the holiday itself.
MERII KURISUMASU to all - and to all, a good night.
Read more!
So how - you might ask - do the Japanese have such a fondness for Christmas, and why - you might also ask - are they celebrating it in any way, shape or form at all?
The short answer: Marketing.
Like many holidays here in the United States, ranging from St. Patrick's Day to Valentine's Day to Secretary's Day - holidays provide a source of income to companies producing gifts, decorations, cards and other holiday-type items as the nature of the holiday demands it. In Japan, Valentine's Day has traditionally been the giving of chocolate from women to men. While the most special chocolates given are usually hand-made, chocolate companies profit greatly. Moreover, this holiday has a related holiday called White Day, celebrated on March 14th, one month after. On this day, men decided to thank the women who gave them gifts by giving THEM gifts in return. For younger males, this is traditionally a gift of cookies. For the adults, the most popular gift is actually lingerie. How do I know these holidays have been commercialized? It is widely-known that the White Day gift is meant to be twice the value of the Valentine's Day gift in order to be of proper thanks.
But I digress, this is about Christmas. And surely you must be saying, "There HAS to be more to Christmas in Japan than your answer of 'marketing' and profiteering." You'd certainly be right.
The long answer: Tradition.
The story of Christmas in Japan goes back quite a long time. Not as long, obviously, as Christian roots in the holiday, but starting around 1549 - when a Portuguese man named Francis Xavier first taught Japan about Christianity. Among the teachings of Christianity, of course, was the idea of Christmas - and the first recorded Japanese Christmas Mass was held at Yamaguchi Church in 1552 as popularity of the religion made its way throughout the country. This led to the "KAKURE", or "Secret Christians" who kept their religion secret and celebrated with Christmas carols sung in Latin, and this sect remains to this day. Why did they have to keep it a secret? Well, in 1639, National Isolation was imposed on Japan and they were shut off from the Western World for quite some time so there was little support religiously.
National Isolation was lifted in 1854 by naval Commodore Perry - and Japan took to the Western civilization once more. During/after WWI, American companies began ordering their Christmas products from Japan since Germany was no longer a viable source. All of the Christmas decorations and toys and aluminum Christmas trees slowly started seeping out from the factories and into the culture as Japan became the new "North Pole" for all things Christmas. After WWII and upon finding Hong Kong and Taiwan for cheaper mass production, the remnants of Christmas had moved from the factories to the Western shopping malls in Japan as the holiday was celebrated more in the spirit of the Western world than the Christian world.
This paradigm shift in Christmas from the Christian notions to the spirit of America and the rest of the Western world led to a great deal of Western traditions being implemented in the celebration of a Japanese Christmas. For example, the traditional Christmas dinner during decades past was "Hamburgers and Stew" in honor of the American style of cooking brought to Japan after the war. Eventually this shifted to another American food tradition - Fried Chicken. In fact, at Kentucky Fried Chicken and American-style restaurants, you can even place your Christmas Dinner orders in advance to reserve your family some of that glorious fried chicken. I read one account of a Japanese woman being asked why chicken, rather than turkey, was the traditional food. The response? "The ovens aren't big enough."
The other food from the Western world that made it big in Japan and became one of the few OFFICIAL Christmas symbols in the country: sponge cake. In fact, the combination of sponge cake, strawberries and whipped cream is the official "Christmas Cake" and NO Christmas celebration is complete in Japan without one. Bakeries even hire people (usually students and teenagers saving up to buy a special someone a gift) to advertise on the street to make sure every Christmas Cake is sold before Christmas Day. Why before then? Well, the Japanese really only celebrate Christmas Eve, and there is no use for a Christmas Cake on the day after. The Japanese are often flabbergasted when they learn that there is no "Christmas Cake" in America nor a hint of a tradition matching it, unless you accept the vague jump to "cookies and milk" left for Santa or the "gingerbread house" whose sole purpose seems to be a marketing push for gingerbread itself. The Christmas Cake in Japan is most related to the Christmas Tree in America in the "what would Christmas be without it" tradition category.
So speaking of Christmas Trees and saving up to buy someone a gift - what about the presents? After all, most children in America know Christmas by that tradition more than any other - the gifts! Well, presents in American Christmas celebrations are usually associated with Santa Claus, and in Japan, Santa is not so much of a mascot for the holiday as he is a mere logo. While he's seen on advertisements and commercials, he doesn't visit shopping malls and ask children what they'd like for Christmas. Even so, there is still gift-giving to be found. Parents give presents to children, but children never give gifts to parents. This is because parents give gifts to children only as long as they still believe in Santa Claus. Once they stop believing, or more likely figure it all out, there's no need to keep giving them gifts in his name - and there's less need for children to give gifts in return since there's no one to return the favor to.
Gifts ARE given to that "special someone". Somewhere along the lines (and believe me, I'M still trying to figure this gem out) of tradition, it became a belief that Christmastime was the best time to declare your love for someone. The act of "confessing" to your crush is often SAVED for the Christmas Eve night, since it's rumored that you will have extra luck in having someone confess back to you if you confess to them on Christmas Eve. Call it a "Christmas Miracle", if you will. This led to the giving of expensive gifts, as a bonus alongside the confession of love, and couples will often exchange gifts as it is a merchandise time of year and when special seasonal gifts are available.
Oh, I'm sorry. Did I make it all the way full-circle to Marketing?
Well, you can't blame the holiday for that. Japan tried to incorporate as much of the Western tradition as possible into their idea of Christmas, and eventually it fell into the same type of rut that America has been in for quite some time, which is why my short answer to the question of Christmas in Japan will remain to be "Marketing" - even though I admit to the long list of tradition as the longer and sappier answer.
Some other Western traditions have not yet been fully tainted in Japan, as is evident by one of the other major traditions that I learned about in my research. Remember how I said that Santa doesn't do his little mall-tour act? That's because there's something more interesting in the malls aside from Christmastime sales and cake-peddlers. It's the haunting chorus of "Hymn to Joy". That's right, the American Christian hymn spread to Japan and it often sung in shopping malls by large choruses as the words are sung in English. It's certainly a nice change of pace from the same flood of sappy Christmas music about reindeer and sleighs and jingling bells that pipe over loudspeakers in Japan just as much as here in America. In fact, the Japanese refer to this tradition as "Daiku" - which means "Great Nine". This is in honor of the fact that "Hymn to Joy" (or rather "Ode to Joy") is the fourth movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
Lastly, I'd like to mention that Christmas comes very close to the New Year holiday. Here in America, this fact is often drowned out by the Christmas celebration and festivities, as those last few days after recovering from parties and whatnot spark a quick interest in the American mind before it's time to find a partner to kiss at midnight and then make New Year's resolutions that are more than likely going to fail before February even draws near. In Japan, it's quite the opposite. While they may have fully embraced fried chicken and Christmas Cake and a bit of commercialism to back it all up, they overshadow Christmas with New Year's traditions. New Year's is really the time that they sit down as a family and have memorable get-togethers and a big feast and heartfelt joy. Christmas is a one-night fling that involves couples more than families and although they're reminded of it almost as long as we are here in America, the actual preparation for the event lasts as long as we Americans prepare for the New Year's Eve.
Even so, in conclusion, Christmas is a big deal in Japan - even without a large population of Christians to back it up. It's based on tradition as much as it is a spread of ideas passed down across an ocean as they embrace their long-distance neighbors' spirit for the holiday. Hopefully this humble article has instilled in you not only the knowledge of how and why Christmas came to Japan and continues there to this day - but also a little insight into the holiday itself and a few of the things beneath the surface. In turn, when someone asks YOU why you celebrate Christmas here in America - you'll remember that although the short answer to the question can often be seen as "Marketing", there's always a longer answer and a lot of thought to give to the "Tradition" and the spirit of the holiday itself.
MERII KURISUMASU to all - and to all, a good night.
Read more!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
A Festivus for the Rest of Us!
("...very high strength-to-weight ratio.")
And so begins the legend of Festivus!
"Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son.
I reached for the last one they had. But so did another man.
As I rained blows upon him I realized there had to be another way!"
"What happened to the doll?"
"It was destroyed.
But out of that, a new holiday was born!
A Festivus for the Rest of Us!"
"And at the festivus dinner, you gather your family around and tell them ALL THE WAYS they have DISAPPOINTED you over the past year."
"And is there a tree?"
"No, there's a pole. Requires no decoration. I find tinsel distracting."
"Welcome, newcomers.
The tradition of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances.
I got a lot of problems with you people!
NOW, you're going to hear about it!"
"And now, as Festivus rolls on,
we come to the Feats of Strength."
"Until you pin me, George, Festivus is not over!"
"LET'S RUMBLE!"
HAPPY FESTIVUS, EVERYONE!
"It's a Festivus Miracle!"
And I leave you all with a quote from George Costanza in honor of the spirit of giving.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking, and this may be my chance to start giving something back. I'm serious. I think I could be a philanthropist. A kick-ass philanthropist! I would have all this money, and people would love me. Then they would come to me and BEG. And if I FELT like it, I would help them out, and then they would owe me BIG TIME!" Read more!
Dating Sites
For me (and all the other single men out there), we have a lot of options when it comes to dating sites. Luckily, there's a new website out there that is reviewing these sites to let us know what extras each of them offers and gives a nice full review of how the compatibility matches on each of the websites.
The site is called Prime Dating Sites, and so far they only have about ten dating sites up and reviewed, but I'm hoping they keep going at it and add more sites to the mix. My personal favorite isn't on there yet - hopefully they'll do a review of OKCupid soon.
I checked out a few of the reviews they'd done, and while they did a great job of describing the extra features and details that come with a full membership - I really wish they'd tell you what does NOT come with the membership. For example, on their page for Perfect Match, they list the detailed matching based on the site's Duet Total Compatibility System, but neglect to let you know that without an expensive membership payment, you have NO access to ANY search tools whatsoever. Also a lovely paragraph about being able to block annoying e-mailers, but no warning that free users can't even send e-mails, let alone see profiles - rendering it a moot point to the free users.
A better job of this was done on the page for Lavalife, though. This reviewer lets you know that with a free membership, you can do the "smile"/"wink" on other profiles to open them up more and let you see each other's profiles - while warning that you still cannot COMMUNICATE with each other. The bane of the single man's dating site, of course. The review lets you know about subscription plans and all of the bonus material, et cetera. Even a blurb about the "Backstage Pass", which I assume pornbots use to post lots of porn pictures and lure people to subscribe to Lavalife just to see them and be lured to THEIR porn site membership as well.
All in all, I feel it's a good site idea with a lot of potential. If they really want to be a site to compare and contrast dating sites being reviewed, there should be an overall page with common features and bonus features and checkmarks to show you which sites offer which services. Of course, including a similar page to list all FREE services offered would be even better.
OKCupid has it all for free still, including searches, communication by e-mail and IM, and various other goodies. I'm sticking with that site - but I'm glad I found this site to show me others that are out there. If you're willing to pay.
This is a sponsored post for Prime Dating Sites.
Read more!
The site is called Prime Dating Sites, and so far they only have about ten dating sites up and reviewed, but I'm hoping they keep going at it and add more sites to the mix. My personal favorite isn't on there yet - hopefully they'll do a review of OKCupid soon.
I checked out a few of the reviews they'd done, and while they did a great job of describing the extra features and details that come with a full membership - I really wish they'd tell you what does NOT come with the membership. For example, on their page for Perfect Match, they list the detailed matching based on the site's Duet Total Compatibility System, but neglect to let you know that without an expensive membership payment, you have NO access to ANY search tools whatsoever. Also a lovely paragraph about being able to block annoying e-mailers, but no warning that free users can't even send e-mails, let alone see profiles - rendering it a moot point to the free users.
A better job of this was done on the page for Lavalife, though. This reviewer lets you know that with a free membership, you can do the "smile"/"wink" on other profiles to open them up more and let you see each other's profiles - while warning that you still cannot COMMUNICATE with each other. The bane of the single man's dating site, of course. The review lets you know about subscription plans and all of the bonus material, et cetera. Even a blurb about the "Backstage Pass", which I assume pornbots use to post lots of porn pictures and lure people to subscribe to Lavalife just to see them and be lured to THEIR porn site membership as well.
All in all, I feel it's a good site idea with a lot of potential. If they really want to be a site to compare and contrast dating sites being reviewed, there should be an overall page with common features and bonus features and checkmarks to show you which sites offer which services. Of course, including a similar page to list all FREE services offered would be even better.
OKCupid has it all for free still, including searches, communication by e-mail and IM, and various other goodies. I'm sticking with that site - but I'm glad I found this site to show me others that are out there. If you're willing to pay.
This is a sponsored post for Prime Dating Sites.
Read more!
Snowy Selfishness
This post comes from my "evil thoughts I have at random" file, thanks to a week or two of annoying snowy weather (which means in snows for two days and then panic and mayhem set in for another week at least before any of the snow can have a chance to melt away and let us calm the hell down.
Walking in the snow is a bitch.
I'm sure that driving in the snow is a bitch as well. Well, most of me figures that driving after it snows is NOT a bitch because you're inside with the heater on and warm dry feet - but the factor of putting up with the snow and how it affects your car BEFORE you're driving effortlessly through it later makes up in the bitch rating.
I understand - your car is covered in snow. The road is covered in snow. There's a whole lot of snow and ice around and it drives you mad having to deal with it the first time. You sit there and dust your entire car off. Then you have to de-ice things. Then I'm betting you have to dig a bit to allow space for your car to have access driving-wise to the road itself. And once you've pulled it out, you decide to shovel off the rest of the area so your car can theoretically pull back in without requiring post-worktime shoveling.
Here's where you lose me, car-drivers: putting your own property in the space you shoveled as though to claim it for yourself.
I've got news for you, Lewis and/or Clark: you're not a pioneer out claiming untamed wilderness for your own. You've done a nice thing by clearing out a parcel of land where a car could park, but you don't get to stick a flag in it and claim that country in the name of the Griswold family. You've dug up a fresh spot of public land, which is the opposite of private land, and it's open to the public.
While owning a home means ownership of that parcel of land, allowing old-timers the right to yell at kids to stay off their lawns, the street is up for grabs. Any city-dweller knows this, having undoubtedly spent ten minutes on various occasions to find one damned parking spot and it's three blocks away. Because the street parking is open to the public and you're not allower to tell people to move their goobermobiles just because that stretch of curb is the closest to your building and that space three blocks away is Goobermobile Parking Accessible.
Here's the insane part: putting private property on public property, expecting that it turns the public into private rather than turning the private into public!
You know where else you can find private property in public places? The alley behind buildings where furniture doesn't fit into garbage cans. And guess what? Open to the public! Hobos can root around for cans all they want, but that discarded kitchen set could go perfectly in a little crap shack like mine!
So why aren't there more people out there fighting the power?
You pull up to your block, and come caring individual has shoveled out a clearance spot that your car could fit perfectly into. I mean, if it weren't for those two lawn chairs in the middle of the space. What's stopping you from picking up that trash left in the street and tossing it elsewhere, making that parking spot PERFECTLY clear? And maybe those are some nice lawn chairs that would look great in your son's basement collection of crappy furniture on which he and his pot-smoking friends can waste their days lounging? Up for grabs, I say!
Oh, those were YOUR lawn chairs?
I'm afraid I'm going to have to cite precedence in the case of Finders v. Keepers.
Every post-snowday, I have this fantasy of riding in the back of a large pick-up truck and just grabbing all the furniture we can haul. It doesn't belong in the street, and it shouldn't be used as a flag to claim public land as your own private garage. That's why people built garages - to have a private property area to park their cars. I give it a ten-block radius and twenty minutes of driving and I could come home with thirty lawn chairs, fifteen orange cones, and a couple of bucks worth of scrap metal or fodder to start a post-modern art gallery and sell demolished parking-space holders for thousands of dollars.
And then I wake up from my daydream because the bus is here and I have to get to work.
Do you all have these same visions of chair-snatching grandeur? Or are you a car-parking menace trying to pass as an emissary who needs to claim this land in the name of your family? Read more!
Walking in the snow is a bitch.
I'm sure that driving in the snow is a bitch as well. Well, most of me figures that driving after it snows is NOT a bitch because you're inside with the heater on and warm dry feet - but the factor of putting up with the snow and how it affects your car BEFORE you're driving effortlessly through it later makes up in the bitch rating.
I understand - your car is covered in snow. The road is covered in snow. There's a whole lot of snow and ice around and it drives you mad having to deal with it the first time. You sit there and dust your entire car off. Then you have to de-ice things. Then I'm betting you have to dig a bit to allow space for your car to have access driving-wise to the road itself. And once you've pulled it out, you decide to shovel off the rest of the area so your car can theoretically pull back in without requiring post-worktime shoveling.
Here's where you lose me, car-drivers: putting your own property in the space you shoveled as though to claim it for yourself.
I've got news for you, Lewis and/or Clark: you're not a pioneer out claiming untamed wilderness for your own. You've done a nice thing by clearing out a parcel of land where a car could park, but you don't get to stick a flag in it and claim that country in the name of the Griswold family. You've dug up a fresh spot of public land, which is the opposite of private land, and it's open to the public.
While owning a home means ownership of that parcel of land, allowing old-timers the right to yell at kids to stay off their lawns, the street is up for grabs. Any city-dweller knows this, having undoubtedly spent ten minutes on various occasions to find one damned parking spot and it's three blocks away. Because the street parking is open to the public and you're not allower to tell people to move their goobermobiles just because that stretch of curb is the closest to your building and that space three blocks away is Goobermobile Parking Accessible.
Here's the insane part: putting private property on public property, expecting that it turns the public into private rather than turning the private into public!
You know where else you can find private property in public places? The alley behind buildings where furniture doesn't fit into garbage cans. And guess what? Open to the public! Hobos can root around for cans all they want, but that discarded kitchen set could go perfectly in a little crap shack like mine!
So why aren't there more people out there fighting the power?
You pull up to your block, and come caring individual has shoveled out a clearance spot that your car could fit perfectly into. I mean, if it weren't for those two lawn chairs in the middle of the space. What's stopping you from picking up that trash left in the street and tossing it elsewhere, making that parking spot PERFECTLY clear? And maybe those are some nice lawn chairs that would look great in your son's basement collection of crappy furniture on which he and his pot-smoking friends can waste their days lounging? Up for grabs, I say!
Oh, those were YOUR lawn chairs?
I'm afraid I'm going to have to cite precedence in the case of Finders v. Keepers.
Every post-snowday, I have this fantasy of riding in the back of a large pick-up truck and just grabbing all the furniture we can haul. It doesn't belong in the street, and it shouldn't be used as a flag to claim public land as your own private garage. That's why people built garages - to have a private property area to park their cars. I give it a ten-block radius and twenty minutes of driving and I could come home with thirty lawn chairs, fifteen orange cones, and a couple of bucks worth of scrap metal or fodder to start a post-modern art gallery and sell demolished parking-space holders for thousands of dollars.
And then I wake up from my daydream because the bus is here and I have to get to work.
Do you all have these same visions of chair-snatching grandeur? Or are you a car-parking menace trying to pass as an emissary who needs to claim this land in the name of your family? Read more!
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