Monday, April 30, 2007

The Post

Where I request that everyone sends stuff to distract me. There has to be fun stuff on the internets today.

Dear God, help me- I watched "The View" this morning while working out. I had to turn it off, though, when they interviewed Bill Bradley. He claimed that the Republicans have a power pyramid that starts with a wealthy base, and builds upward with "think tanks", Rush Limbaugh (and media), and finally politicians, while the democrats have that pyramid upside down. NO disagreement. I couldn't stand any more.

Friday, April 27, 2007

Bless his little computer-gaming heart



Nothing much to update about my father's condition (his vitals are looking better, but he's still on a vent), so I though I'd put up a cute picture of my youngest.

Thursday, April 26, 2007

(Non)Update




Since there isn't much to update. Just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers. And to kindly ask if you would continue them.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Update

Thanks for all the prayers, and please keep them coming. His kidney is doing OK; he had a bacterial infection in his leg and the outcome wasn't good. He is still in critical condition.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

No Posting

My dad's really sick, so I don't know how much I'll be around.

Monday, April 23, 2007

Friday, April 20, 2007

Read at your own peril

My children (the boys, specifically) have lost THREE of their schoolbook in the last few weeks. Important, kinda expensive, not easily replaced books. Now, I homeschool, so I know they didn't get left in a school locker, or left in a classroom, or lost on the way to or from school. These fricken books are some where in my house. And I can not find them. And it is trying me nuts.

"Gee Mom, we can't do our history/reading/read-aloud because we lost the book ... tough break. "

And then, my head explodes.

Prayer Request


For a friend of a friend.

Friday Video

Tragically Hip's Bobcaygeon

Silly Picture Du Jour

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Resubmission




Says River Rat:

Because of the whining of George I resubmit my entry into the Carin Spring Craptastic Contest. That brown and white long trailer thingy is the dwelling.

I'm Confused



This is the same chick who sings those unbearable songs "Fergalicious", "My Humps", and "London Bridge"?

Media Blackout

The Mayor has a horrible story, that has been ignored by the media. Murder certainly doesn't always make the news, but the gruesomeness of this story certainly should have elevated it to at least a fraction of the coverage received by the Duke rape kerfuffle.

Of course, this horrible story doesn't fit with the agenda of the MSM. It is only news-worthy when a white person rapes, or kills, a black person. Then we can get Al and Jesse on tv, talking about the institutionalized racism in our society.

But, if you want to discuss "it"

Gail has a post, using big words that I had to look up, regarding the crazy Mo-Fo's writing and what it may reveal.

Liviu Librescu


I'm not going to put the image, or the name, of the * beast who went on a shooting rampage Monday. I'm not going to print or link his writing. I'm not going to put up any video of his manifesto. I'm sure all of that is exactly what he wanted to happen, and was part of the motivation for his actions.

While there is purpose and reason to understanding what may have caused this tragedy, excessive attention also (unwittingly) contributes to the glorification of the anti-hero. For me, it's enough to accept that he was just a crazy mother fucker.

Instead, I want to focus on Liviu Librescu. He was a true hero, and a role model for all of us.

As Jews worldwide honored on Monday the memory of those who were murdered in the Holocaust, a 76-year-old survivor sacrificed his life to save his students in Monday's shooting at Virginia Tech College that left 33 dead and over two dozen wounded.

Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter when the man attempted to enter his classroom. The Israeli mechanics and engineering lecturer was shot to death, "but all the students lived - because of him," Virginia Tech student Asael Arad - also an Israeli - told Army Radio.


On the idiot-box, I would like to see a little more Librescu, and a lot less crazy mother-fucker. I doubt I will, but a gal can wish.



* I don't even know what to call him; to call him an animal would be insulting to animals;to call him a psycho would be insulting to those with mental illness- so I settled with "beast".

CRAPTASTIC - Spring Edition



River Rat has kindly started off CRAPTASTIC TM Spring Edition with this panoramic image. I think this one looks a tad familiar - could it be the same home that gave you inspiration for the Christmas craptastic? I guess this is the house that keeps on giving for you.

Anyway, you guys know the rules (there are none) so get snapping.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Kind of Interesting

I installed a site meter on my blog about two days ago, mostly out of boredom of the intertubes. Sure, I could have posted more YouTube videos, are bizarre pictures of my children (which is what I usually do when I bored), but I decided to take it in a different direction this time.

I used to have a site meter, when I first started this hobby, but it was lost when I made some formatting changes. I found myself happier, healthy, and GOSH DARN more content not knowing how few people came to read my blog. So, when I was installing the gosh-darn thing the other day, I was already plotting it's removal.

But, it's proved to me kind of fun. I do, in fact, have more than two readers. AND, the little tool that tells me where readers are located is just nifty.

Sometime overnight, I had a visitor from Iran. And for delivering that bit of knowledge alone, the site meter stays. At least for a few days.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Just FYI

I took that picture a few posts down.

Ismail Ax

From (the dubiously accurate ) Wikipedia:

In Islam, Ishmael [Ismai] is known as the first-born son of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) from Hagar, and as an appointed prophet of God.
Although Ishmael's name was not mentioned in the Qur'an as the son who was supposed to be sacrificed, nevertheless the sacrifice tale in the Qur'an (As-Saffat [37:112]) clearly states that God gave Abraham the good news of Isaac and who he will be (a prophet, and one of the Righteous) after the sacrifice tale has finished which means that Isaac was not yet born at the time of the sacrifice[2]. In Islamic beliefs, Abraham had prayed to God for a son ('Isma' in Arabic means 'to listen', i.e., answer prayer, and 'ell' is derived from the Hebrew word 'elle', meaning 'God'). God delivered this child to Abraham, and later tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his only son at the time. However, just as Abraham was to kill his only son, God halted him, praised him for his loyalty, and commanded him to sacrifice a ram instead. This leads to the Muslim practice of sacrificing domesticated animals such as sheep, goats or cows, on the celebration to mark this event known as Eid ul-Adha.
According to The Oxford Companion To The Bible, "Because Ishmael was circumcised (Gen. 17:25), so are most Muslims. And, analogous to Paul's reversal of the figures of Isaac and Ishmael (Gal. 4:24-26), Muslim tradition makes Ishmael rather than Isaac the son Abraham was commanded to sacrifice."[4]


Not to jump the gun or anything, but I just wondered what the heck "Ismail Ax" could mean. Regardless, I would bet this was more a case of "crazy-nutjob" than Islamic radical.

But, sometimes, those two things are not mutually exclusive.

HuffPo Sent me an Email

I don't know why or how, but a while back I started getting daily messages from HuffPo. See, I don't even have to go trolling. They bring the troll to me. Anyway, today in the email is this little (predictable) gem from Jane Smiley:

What I would like is for the gun-toting right wing to admit that there is a price we pay, that senseless accidental deaths and traumas are a national cost and that it's not so clear that it's worth it, but hey, we pay it anyway because so many guns are in the hands of so many people that there would never be any getting rid of them. I would like the right wing to admit that guns are not "good" and that the right to bear arms is not an absolute virtue and that the deaths in the US caused by guns are at least as problematic, philosophically, as abortion.


First, if you want to talk about senseless accidental death and trauma, I have got a big one for you. Motor vehicles. To the tune of 43,358 a year. Firearm deaths (including gang warfare, self defense shooting, and criminals killed by police) ring in at 28,663 a year." Accidental discharge of firearms" account for 776 deaths, making it ninth under the category of "accidental" deaths. So, there are eight more dangerous "accidental" causes of death than guns.

Motor vehicles are number one, of course.

You know why? Because so many cars are in the hands of so many people.

The right to bear arms is an absolute virtue. We live in dangerous times, and I do not fear a gun in the hands of a law-abiding citizen. I never have, and I never will.

Perhaps Jane Smiley would like to visit me in Detroit. It was a gun in the hands of my neighbor that chased away the crackhead who repeatedly came to my door, at all hours of the night. The police didn't have time to deal with my petty complaint.

We cannot yield our defense completely to the hands of the government, be it locally, or nationally. The SWAT team isn't always going to be able rush in and safe you. And- as we saw yesterday- the SWAT team arrived way too late.

Finally, there is Smiley's comparison between the right to bear arms and the right to abort. Are guns as problematic as abortion? The CDC puts the annual abortion rate at around 848,163. So, no, I do not think guns are as problematic as abortion. 776 accidental deaths, versus 848,163 abortions. Seems silly to even make the comparison.

Monday, April 16, 2007

Romans 12:9-12




Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

iPod update

I now have 1.4 days worth of music on my iPod. I'm starting to run out of things to put on it.

Mark Styene on Imus Kerfuffle

Always hits it:

And saddest of all were the Rutgers basketball gals themselves. Almost a century and a half after the abolition of slavery, 40 years after the civil rights era, a group of young black women who've achieved great success went on TV and teared up because of a cheap crack by an over-the-hill shock jock.
As a female correspondent to the Powerline Web site commented: "Here are these tough women on top of the world, and they are so fragile that a remark knocks them down. Hey, why wouldn't they have said 'F--- you? Who the heck is this fool Imus? We are queens of national basketball, and there is no stopping us now. We can be and do anything we choose to be or do. … We don't need Al Sharpton to protect us.' But no, they look devastated and say they are damaged irreparably."


H/t: Protein Wisdom

Can Someone Please Explain?

Huguo Chavez, president of Venezuela, is hosting an energy summit of South American leaders today.

At the two-day summit, Chavez will promote a much-heralded project to build a 5,000-mile (8,000-kilometre) natural gas pipeline linking the OPEC nation's gas reserves to nations such as Brazil and Argentina.


But what about the caribou? Oh, right, never mind.

Chavez is seeking "to consolidate regional support for his anti-U.S. policies."

Chavez, who governs atop the hemisphere's largest oil reserves and wins political influence with subsidized exports to neighbors, wants the 12-nation conference to focus on regional integration as a counterweight to the United States.


Now ... this is where things get confusing for me. Chavez is using his country's oil wealth to buy power around South America , is the fifth-largest exporter of oil to the United States, and stand FIRM in his opposition to Ethanol. Why? Because people will starve. Ok, at least that is sort of consistent. But, now here is the kicker:

But with Cuban help, the government has installed millions of power-saving light bulbs in recent months that Chavez -- who often speaks in apocalyptic terms about the environment -- said can serve as an inspiration at the summit.

"This planet is in danger, the human race is danger," he said after railing about high U.S. energy demand. "Let's do what we have to do to save mankind."


Chavez wants everyone to keep buying his oil, but he's installing power-saving light bulbs. I guess those are his offsets? That should do the trick. The Venezuelan government is dependent upon oil (since it has nationalized the petroleum industry) yet Chavez needs only go on TV to spew propaganda, and the greens lap it up:

While the leader of the world’s most powerful nation, George W. Bush, denies the existence of global warming, Venezuela’s Chávez has made environmental issues a top concern of his government and is actively engaging in efforts to raise awareness throughout South America about the importance of conservation. Venezuela also recently initiated Misión Energía (Mission Energy), a social program aimed at energy conservation that has funded hundreds of “brigadiers” (young activists) all over the country in efforts to replace common heat-burning light bulbs with more environmentally friendly cold energy bulbs. President Chávez has ordered that all government buildings must use the energy conserving light bulbs and must lower excessive air conditioning in State offices. During television and radio appearances, Chávez never fails to comment on the importance of turning off water faucets when not in use, not leaving televisions on when they are not being watched and switching off unnecessary lights.

A nation under the constant aggression and verbal attack of the United States, as well as the victim of several direct interventions (such as the failed coup d’etat against Chávez in April 2002), Venezuela is setting an important example about how government truly can play a protagonist role in stopping global warming and environmental decay. Greens and activists around the world should support and encourage, as well as aid with expertise and solidarity, Venezuela’s green agenda.


Why, it's paradise! Unlike the US:

During his seven years of power, he has increased the government’s military budget and taken complete control of the military by establishing militias. The president has given positions of prestige to those in his favor, and established a system of surveillance and punishment against those who oppose him. With this power, he persecutes political dissenters, undermining any sense of legitimacy associated with rival leadership; he has systematically averted the reorganization of other political parties. The president has also instituted a "gag" law and has pressured journalists and the media as a means to control information and ideas presented to the people of the U.S.


Oops, except that isn't about the United States. But, you fell for it didn't you? It sounded just an article on HuffPo for a second, didn't it? No, those are the comments of Rafael Alfonzo, Former Chairman of the Venezuelan Food Industry Chamber, referring, of course to the changes in his country after seven years of Chavez. He continues:


As part of his national takeover, Chávez has taken complete control of the government and has seized control of the congress, the national electoral council, the attorney general’s office, the Supreme Court, the public defender’s office and the office of the national comptroller. He has even gone as far as organizing a network of intellectuals who provide a legitimizing ideological dimension to his "revolution." Chávez’s "state-run capitalism" has made Venezuela a polarized country.


Yes, Chavez is setting a wonderful example on how a government can implement an energy policy. First, you start with a dictatorship ...

But, I cannot but add that Chavez has contributed to the green movement by reducing the oil production of Venezuela. In 1968, it was at 3.6 mbpd. In 2006, production was below 2.5 mbpd! Well DONE, Chavez. And how did he accomplish this wonderful feat?
The qualified, trained and expert personnel that used to run the country’s oil business were fired and blacklisted by the government. In other words, the people who used to run our oil industry are barred from participating in it at any level. Not only are they barred from PDVSA’s operations, but also from any company related to the state-owned oil industry.

As a result, Venezuela’s oil production has decreased. Currently, our country’s actual production level is 2.6 mbpd. To make matters worse, refining problems have forced several products out of the normal production line. Finally, it is hard to quantify the effects of the pressure placed on foreign companies that have invested in Venezuela’s oil industry. Companies have been forced into joint-venture agreements that make it very difficult for foreign investors to consider our country as a secure investment destination.


Environmentalism through incompetence.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

iPod

Ok, I think I'm past the point of only putting MY VERY FAVORITE songs on my iPod. My first iPod wasn't extremely large, but certainly larger than I needed. Yet still, I obsessed over what I put on it. I'm on my second iPod now (stupid click-wheel went on the first one) and it's HUGELY BIGGER than I could ever completely fill. And, dare I say it, but I'm getting sick of only hearing the top of the top of my favorite songs. So, today the project is to expand my listening pleasure from around 400 songs to ... well, we'll see how far I get.

So far added :

The Who; Live at Leeds
The Who: Who's Next
Sarah Mclauchlan: Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

I'm debating some of this stuff. "Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians"? Strings of Love perhaps. It's a pretty good tune. The rest of it ...

Friday, April 13, 2007

Tragically Hip

Perhaps I'll just make this a friday feature?

Nautical Disaster, as performed at Detroit's own Fox Theater.

For Krista

Illusions of someday,
Cast in a golden light,
No dress rehearsal,
This is our life.

Photo du jour

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Random shot of the day



My kids play with this photobooth thing on my 'puter, so I thought I'd throw random ones up from time to time:

Global Warming is Killing the Sea Otters

Or something like that ...

An extra-cold winter on the Alaska Peninsula has frozen sea otters out of the bay and pushed them onto the tundra near Port Heiden where they're easy prey for wolves, humans and hunger

More Tragically Hip

Courage is a friend of mine.

Fred Thompson for President

This was on Jawa, but it just cracked me up so I had to put it here as well.

Melon, anyone?



I dunno, but I think I could get my boys to eat more fruit if I had one of these.

From Ananova

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Two Minutes of Hate

Or more, but that was all I could stand.
Fred Thompson has lymphoma.

Oh Goodie....another "flying mummy in a dying trajectory" running for the Ventriloquist's-Dummy-In-Chief.....

By: abbiehoffman on April 11, 2007 at 11:00am
Flag: [abusive]
Geez ...the GOP line up for the 2008 presidency looks like a scene out of "Night of the Living Dead"

By: tcuoohjohn on April 11, 2007 at 11:04am
Flag: [abusive]


Horrs!

Why hasn't this man resigned all his work to spend time with himself, and to comfort himself in his time of need. Selfish, selfish Hollywood repug, keeping himself from himself like that just so he can pursue his own dreams without regard to his own own needs or the needs of himself.

By: edgemo on April 11, 2007 at 11:09am
Flag: [abusive]
Three of the candidates for the GOP nomination have cancer...Giuliani, McCain, and Thompson.

By: tcuoohjohn on April 11, 2007 at 11:11am
Flag: [abusive]
You people are disgusting--truly repulsive. I'm sure huffpost will close down the comments soon on this topic, thanks to the neolib caveman who insist on goofing on cancer.
By: hbwriter


Please don't take this wrong - but is there a Republican candidate that hasn't had cancer?

That's not a negative or a bad thing - I think its great if the country can learn that cancer is becoming a chronic condition and not a death sentence.

Just sayin'.

By: MNmommy on April 11, 2007 at 11:16am
Flag: [abusive]
Shit. This sets the scene for a Thompson-Jeb ticket where Thompson succumbs following the election.
By: gcallaghan on April 11, 2007 at 10:58am

Sorry someone else already cashed in on the "I have cancer" thing....think of something else

By: Warmglobe on April 11, 2007 at 11:21am
Flag: [abusive]

Please don't take this wrong - but is there a Republican candidate that hasn't had cancer?

That's not a negative or a bad thing - I think its great if the country can learn that cancer is becoming a chronic condition and not a death sentence.

Just sayin'.
By: MNmommy on April 11, 2007 at 11:16am


Republican conservatism is cancer. Cancer on American values, liberties and freedoms.

By: motormouth on April 11, 2007 at 11:27am
Flag: [abusive]

What we have here is-

The post where Amanda Marcotte explains that "the man" opposes her offensive words not because of the actual words, but because of her stance on their "anti-woman church policies," and her tireless crusade against the patriarchy. Furthermore, she explains that people aren't mad at Don Imus because of what he said, but because he is a "racist fuckwit":

[E]veryone knows he’s a racist fuckwit, and when politicians go on his show and people go on TV defending him, they are saying, loud and clear, that racist fuckwittery wins and you people who are opposed to racist fuckwittery need to suck a lemon. We are mad because we want simple, basic justice and Imus and his buddies are resisting that. We want women to be athletes and we want black people to have the same access to education as white people and Imus and his buddies are resisting us. The exact language he used to convey the idea that he opposes female athletes and black scholars is interesting but not the ultimate point. The battle is over whether or not we as a society are going to grant full equality to women and black people or not.


Erm, besides his comments, exactly what proof does Mandy have that he is a racist fuckwit, who is trying to keep black people from going to college? What agenda does Imus have? Besides a radio program, in which he makes tasteless jokes, offending just about everyone, what power does he have?

The problem Marcotte has with all of this, of course, is that she got fired for her words, while Don Imus has been merely suspended. Ignoring the fact that Marcotte wrote thousands of words extolling and detailing her radical views, while Imus merely uttered his a few times.

There’s a reason that the corporate media wants to avoid the issues at hand, and it goes right back to how it is that I don’t have a job anymore but Don Imus does. It’s because the official values of this country are liberal, and if conservatives want to advance their agenda, they need to use subterfuge and distraction, and the sound-bite culture is perfect for that.


Marcotte got fired because her opinions are controversial, perhaps not to herself, but to just about everyone right of Pandagon and she had been hired by someone trying to win a popularity contest. She can't accept how radical her opinions are because she is buried so deep in that battle against the patriarchy.

In this case, what is angering people is that Don Imus was feeding into and feeding a culture that teaches that black people don’t deserve education and that women shouldn’t be athletes, because all of that threatens white male supremacy. Put like that, it’s sort of hard to argue that it’s really “freedom of speech” to demand that defenders of black education and female athletes pipe down so the racist, sexist son of a bitch’s paycheck he draws to spread anti-black, anti-woman propaganda not be threatened. So instead we focus relentlessly on the sound-bite rather than ask the hard questions about racism and sexism and the role of education and athletics in overcoming that, and why men like Don Imus piss their pants in fear at the sight of unapologetic black female scholar-athletes?


That's an awful lot of feeding, coming out of a few words. She is taking a small "sound-bite" and turning it into the entire KKK agenda. Isn't this exactly what she is railing about? Taking a small sound-bite of Imus's show, and finding the "gotcha" moments? Imus is an equal-opportunity offender, with certainly less influence than the misogynist, racist, hip-hop culture. If she wants to find a force for negativity in regards to blacks, women, and higher education, she needs to look no further than that video I posted yesterday.

This is where I must commend the Democrats who refused to participate in the “debate” at Fox News, because it wasn’t meant to be a debate, which implies thorough discussion of actual issues. It was an attempt to generate “gotcha” soundbites by asking a bunch of catch-22 questions to which there is no good answer. Handing the media “gotcha” soundbites so they can relentlessly avoid talking about the actual issues is exactly what conservatives want, and they even set it up so they could play “gotcha” when the Democrats refused to feed them ammunition to shoot them with. My only question at this point is why did the Congressional Black Caucus decide to offer themselves up as the club to bully Democrats into this debate? Surely they had to know the only reason Fox News reaches out to the Congressional Black Caucus is to find a way to fuck with the Democrats, period, since Fox has no other reason to exist than to promote the Republican party and a right wing ideology


For years and years, conservatives have had to sift through the left-wing media for truth. ABC, NBC, CBS, and then CNN. Fox has ruined the liberal monopoly on news distribution, and it will not be tolerated. But, how to handle the affront? Certainly the approach has been to attack it relentlessly. But, now the DNC has another tool; the blackout. They claim, as Marcotte says above, that they are refusing to feed them ammunition with which to attack. But, I think, actually, it is fear that is keeping them from Fox.

Can you imagine Hillary Clinton on a Fox program, where she is actually asked HARD questions? Hillary would never go up against such an unfriendly audience. And, by unfriendly, I mean, "not a democrat."

His Eyes PIERCE My Soul

Global Warming Crimefighters Begin Their Battle

The saviors of our dear world are off battling the forces of evil. First we have Sheryl Crow:

Sheryl Crow, riding aboard a bus that uses biodiesel fuel, is on an 11-stop college tour to raise awareness about global warming.

Accompanying the Grammy-winning singer is Laurie David, who produced the film on climate change, “An Inconvenient Truth,” which won the Oscar for best documentary earlier this year.

Each stop on the tour will include remarks by David, a short performance by Crow, clips from “An Inconvenient Truth” and a dialogue with students, according to Crow’s Web site.

“The more I learn about global warming, the more I know that we all have to do something to be a part of the solution,” Crow, 45, said in a statement.

The “Stop Global Warming College Tour” opened Monday at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.


You know, nothing says "green" to me like an 11-college tour. But, this is just a warm-up for the big show:
The line-up has been unveiled for the US leg of Al Gore's Live Earth concerts, which has been confirmed to take place at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

The Police, Smashing Pumpkins, Bon Jovi and Kanye West will perform, as will AFI, Sheryl Crow, Fall Out Boy and John Mayer.

Concerts will take place across seven continents throughout July 7, and will culminate with the New Jersey show.

"We hope the energy created by Live Earth will jump start a massive public education effort," Live Earth co-chair vice president Al Gore said. "Live Earth will help us reach a tipping point that's needed to move corporations and governments to take decisive action to solve the climate crisis.


I had no idea they were going to be creating energy with this tour! Sounds creepy, actually.

Call me dense, but I fail to see the direct connection between holding some massive concert, and "green" ideas. Tour buses, stages, electricity, not to mention the consumption of fuel used by those going to see the concerts. Add in the millions using ENERGY to watch the concerts on their TVs, and this seems like little more than a money-making, PR scheme by Gore, Inc.

Wait, you don't think ... ?


The weather weather continues to not be Al Gore's friend:

LAST WEEK’s WEATHER TREND (1-7 APR): Temperatures plummeted as a strong Arctic cold front dove deep into the South late in the week. There were 100s of record low temperatures across the U.S. with the Southwest being the one exception. Hard freezes most likely did 10s of millions of dollars damage to trees and crops in the Southeast over the Easter weekend. Snowfall was also the most in at least 14 years with dozens of record snowfall totals from Texas to the Middle Atlantic and throughout the interior Northeast and Great Lakes. Even Dallas had a trace of snow which was the latest snowfall in 69 years.


I know, I know; Global warming causes warming, cooling, rain, drought, predictable, and unpredictable weather. The actual weather means NOTHING.

They've GOT Your Vote, So Why Bother?

Silly Detroiters - you thought the major Democratic candidates would come to DETROIT for a debate? They KNOW they have your vote regardless of what they say or do, so they've opted out of a debate, cohosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute.

Obama and Clinton aides said they intended to participate in six debates sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. The DNC's list did not include the Fox News-CBC Institute debate, a concession to liberal and black activists who say Fox has slighted blacks and is biased in favor of conservatives.


To put this in a bit of perspective, Fox is co-sponser, alone with the Congressional BLACK CAUCUS. Hello? Did anyone notice that? The charge that Fox News is biased and racist is ridiculous. Regardless, wouldn't the fact that they are co-sponsering the event with the Congressional BLACK CAUCUS indicated that they aren't slighting blacks?

I'll tell you who they are slighting; Detroit voters. And, it's the DNC that is doing it. Because, they know that it doesn't matter what they do or say, the "D" will keeping pulling the lever for their candidates. With. Out. Fail.

No run along, Detroit. Get back out there pickin cotton. The master will tell you when to get outraged. Right now, focus on Don Imus.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Perspective

While everyone is going apoplectic over Don Imus, the word keeps turning; ignoring things of slightly more significance (EXTREME CONTENT WARNING):



Now, back to current events, Imus is being suspended for two weeks for his comments, but it is not enough for the outrage gang:

"This morning I heard someone who was unrepentant. I heard someone who continued to make jokes about it," Barbara Ciara, vice president of the National Association of Black Journalists, said on CBS News' The Early Show Tuesday. "While on one hand he was apologizing, on the other hand, he was saying he wasn't going to get into whether or not his suspension was appropriate."

However, Imus said, "I think it's appropriate, and I am going to try to serve it with some dignity," on his show Tuesday.

The suspension "not nearly enough. I think it is too little, too late," said Rev. Al Sharpton Tuesday morning.

"Imus talks to thousands if not millions of viewers every morning. He has a platform. He is not a comedian in a comedy club who talks to 50 people a night. He is someone who every day on the airways has access to people and can basically ply points of view. As a broadcaster, as a responsible broadcaster, we want to hold his feet to the fire on this," Ciara told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith.


I am in no way defending Imus. I don't listen to him, and didn't when his program was available in Detroit. But, I think we're paying a bit too much attention to Imus, and too little to those who have a bigger impact upon the offended parties in this story.

"We are angry" about comments made by radio talk show host Don Imus, said Rutgers University basketball player Heather Zurich at a news conference Tuesday.

"Great anger and disgust" was how team captain Essence Jones described the reaction. "It has taken a toll on us mentally and physically."

"I don't know how anyone could have heard this and not been personally hurt and offended," said head coach C. Vivien Stringer at a news conference Tuesday. "When there is not equality for all or when there's been denied equality for one, there's been denied equality for all."


Well, first of all, I doubt any of those women actually, you know, LISTEN to Don Imus. To have been "hurt and offended", attention had to be brought to his words. And, attention there has been, and now the whole Western world is condemning his racist remarks.

But, what if he had said that black men go to college to become criminals, and the women to become their 'hos? Or, what if someone else made that claim? Certainly we would hear equal condemnation about that?

Crickets.

If you can stand to watch the above "Crime Mob's" video, you will see that exact "theme". That video is a disgusting, negative, racist piece of crap. Granted, I don't watch many music videos (except the ones I post here), so perhaps I live a sheltered life.

Don't rap artists have a "platform"? They have an audience of "thousands if not millions" who hear their message. Can it be said that "Crime Mob" are a group who who every day on the airways has access to people and can basically ply points of view? Who is going to hold their feet to the fire?

like it when she
Rock her hips then wave and sip
She rock her hips then wave and sip
She rock her hips
She rock her hips
She rock her hips then
Wave and sip

Look at them hips, I like how she rock it
She bend that thing ova and to the ground
She be dropping and popping hard as she can,
Got me hard in the pants
Because she all in her stash,
Doing her motherfucking dance man
Look, lil' buddy cute in the face
She rock her hips to the bass
She take a sip when she wave
And wanna get wit Lil'J
After she dance on that pole
I pull my cash so quick and fast
When that ass hit the floor


"Rock Yo Hips" is number 18 on iTunes hip hop chart and 65 on the all-around top 100.

Off to Borders ...

To get the next in the Outlander series. I thought I would be finishing up the first novel some time this afternoon, but the end of the book was impossible to put down, and I read until 12:45 in the morning.

Perhaps I should try to get some stuff done first? Let's just say I didn't get a ton accomplished yesterday.

Bathroom
Kitchen
Basement

And, THEN, I'm off to Borders.

Monday, April 09, 2007

Thanks, Canada

Now, before you think I'm being sarcastic, take note - I feel a genuine sense of gratitude. I may be one of the first to jump into a "let's beat up on Canada" discussion, but not today.

Because, as I type, I'm downloading an "Our Lady Peace" album, a band that hails from Toronto. Which, incidentally, is in Canada. Today musical selection was between California's Incubus and Our Lady Peace, and the Canadians beat the Americans in this battle of the bands. Incubus may have "Drive" and "Pardon Me" and "Warning":



But OLP has "Clumsy" and "Innocent" and "One Many Army" and "Superman's Dead" and "Kiss on the Mouth" and "Starseed" and "4 a.m." and others. So, they won.



And, before you start thinking "yes, sure Carin, Canada may have given us OLP, but what about Celine? Certainly they should have to pay for that. "

Well, yes. You are right about that. Never forget. Never forgive.




And for that, all Canadians should be deeply ashamed.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Book Report

I'm about half-way through "Outlander" and it's yummy-candy fun.

In used-book news, I managed to pick up "Atlas Shrugged" the other day for a buck. They didn't have "Bleak House", and I forgot to look for "Gone with the Wind." I need to keep a handy list.

Happy Easter

I wish everyone a blessed Easter. The Lord has Risen!

I dragged my kids to the Easter Vigil last night, which was two-and-a-half hours. It usually is a long service, but not THAT long. There was a large number of new Catholics, who needed dunking in addition to the other rites. When I converted, only a few needed to be baptized, and there service clocked in under two hours.

Regardless of the length, it was a lovely service.

Now, I have to run and find heavy cream, to make tiramisu, to take to my mother-in-law's house. One more cup of coffee ...

Friday, April 06, 2007

Michigan plans to tax its way out of trouble

Because, you know, that always works so well.

A 4% sales tax on soda, for instance, would be imposed to help fund a catastrophic health-care fund for uninsured Michigan residents. The proposal would generate up to $70 million a year.
One bill would tax satellite TV services, while another would dramatically increase fees for documents at county Register of Deeds offices and for teachers applying for certificates and permits.


Tax tax tax!

State Rep. Steve Tobocman, D-Detroit, said many other tax proposals are on the table, including a 6% tax on some services and an increase in the income tax, which now is at 3.9%.
"I don't think we'd rule anything out," he said.
Also on the table, and playing a more prominent role Thursday, were expensive new programs, including $100 million for investments in Michigan's downtowns and a $38-million proposal that would provide iPods or MP3 players for all Michigan students to use as learning tools.


iPods for all Michigan students. Un. Believe. Able.

What I especially enjoy, is when they say that a certain tax will bring in a certain windfall of cash. A 4% sales tax on soda will generate $70 million a year. Are you SURE about that? How do you know people just won't stop drinking soda? Same goes with any other tax those schemers plan. Impose a death tax, and - believe it or not - people will move out of the state, at least as far as their legal residency goes. Place higher tax burdens on companies, and those companies will leave as well. What democrats just simply do not understand, is that lower (and fair) taxes will actually result in higher tax revenues because business will choose Michigan and residents will remain.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

How to Make a Pretzel

Ali Eteraz on how the left can safely criticize "Muslim Human Right Hypocricy". First, the pretzel logic explaining why the left is too often silent :

Western liberals generally shy away from calling Muslim states out on their human rights duplicity. There are many reasons for this. Some of us come from post-colonial theory and believe that the real cause of repression in the Muslim world is the history of Western colonialism. Others among us take the position that we are not in a position to extol human rights norms upon Muslim states given our own violations. Yet others simply abstain from speaking out against violence and repression in Muslim states because we do not wish to provide the right wing hawks with more justification for creating war. This reluctance is reasonable. However, the reluctance degenerates to silence, which then allows our right wing peers to appropriate (and hijack) the entire human rights project. Once appropriated, the right wing then determines which "solutions" to apply. Most of their solutions rely upon force.


So, basically, the reason the left stays silent is 1) it's the West's fault to begin with, 2) the West is just as bad and 3) speaking truth to power will only encourage more Western aggression.

Ok. Got it.

I can hardly wait, though, until his next installment on the series.
In my next post I will discuss how a Western progressive can speak with a clean conscience with a dissident who does not seem to accept the separation of mosque and state.


Tell me you're not dying to know!

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Alanis Morrissette Duo

I think she did a pretty good cover of Seal's "Crazy."


But, what made me think of that, was Ace's posting of this funny video :

Monday, April 02, 2007

Gone, Baby, Gone

At least for the morning - I've volunteered myself (and my oldest son) at the soup kitchen today.

But, just wow -what is going to happen with the 15 Brits being held by Iran?