Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Oh, Arianna!
Arianna asked 20 questions for the president. Since we both know the president is likely not to answer her directly, and she would delete a post that smelled too right-of-center, I'll answer them here, and then ask 20 questions for her, that she won't answer, just like George!
1.) Last week, you insisted: "I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong... it's simply not true." Yet source after source after source suggests otherwise, including your former Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neil, who has said that invading Iraq was a goal set out at your first National Security Council meeting, just ten days after your inauguration: "It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying 'Go find me a way to do this.'" Mr. President, is Paul O'Neil lying?
From your own source, the president wanted to get rid of Saddam. Not necessarily via warfare, just get rid of him. He gave Saddam 48 hours warning to leave the country, or face military force. This policy of regime change in Iraq is in keeping with the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which passed 360-38 in the house, and was signed by Clinton.
Here's some questions right back at you, Arianna. Where does a man who uses chemical weapons on civilians in his own country and lets his sons rape women belong? In prison, or in charge of a country with 4th largest oil reserves on the planet? Also, when Congress passes a bill advocating regime change in a country, should the president change that regime, or just lob a few cruise missiles at the country every once in a while to distract people from his sex scandals?
2.) Despite the fact that dozens of Iraqis a day are dying in sectarian violence, you continue to insist that Iraq is not in a civil war. How many dead Iraqis per day would it take before you'd be willing to concede that civil war has broken out?
What, exactly, is civil about blowing up churches and suicide bombings? Back in the American civil war, the war was actually civil. The South had civilian leadership, as did the north. The word for what is happening in Iraq is insurgency. If the people attacking civilians were fighting in the name of Saddam instead of Allah, you might have a case that it's a civil war. As it is, it's more like a holy(unholy) war.
Here's a question for you: If you knew a civil war in Iraq would put a democrat in the whitehouse in 2008, would you cheer it on, no matter how many Iraqis had to die from he democrat's short-lived political gain?
3.) Speaking of civil war, your Iraq-is-not-a-civil-war assessment was directly contradicted by former prime minister Ayad Allawi, a man whose credibility you considered unimpeachable in 2004, saying: "He's a brave, brave man... You can't change the dynamics on the ground if you've criticized the brave leader of Iraq." Has your opinion of him changed now that he's no longer saying what you want to hear?
Bush is not criticizing Allawi, he is DISAGREEING with him. Also, you will notice that Allawi is no longer the leader of Iraq, and therefore has little to do with the "dynamics on the ground" anymore. Bush was talking about diplomacy, you can't insult someone and say they are a puppet and expect to be able to deal with them cordially when you talk to them. And had Allawi maintained office after the elections, and Kerry been elected, That would have been a very rocky relationship indeed.
Here's a question back at you: do you take it as a personal insult whenever someone dares to disagree with you?
4.) Allawi has said: "We are losing each day, as an average, 50 to 60 people through the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." Do you think this is something you might discuss with God next time you speak?
Bush does not have conversations with God. He said Jesus was his favorite philosopher. Einstien's my favorite philosopher, and after reading about Einstien's life, it changed my heart. Jesus changed my heart too, but I hope you see where I'm going with this. I don't have conversations with either Einstien or Jesus.
Here's your question: who do you think is a bigger religious nutbag, Bush, or Ahmadinejad? Also, do you think mocking Bush for his Christianity is a good way to make a point when 75% of the country is Christian?
5.) You have steadfastly supported Secretary Rumsfeld, recently claiming: "He's done a fine job." Just how bad would things have to get before you'd be willing to downgrade that to "a so-so job"? What, in your eyes, would you consider "a really crummy job"?
A so-so job is starting a blog and inviting a bunch of celebrities to post on it. A "really crummy job" is faking a George Clooney post.
Here's your question: let's say you get your wish, and Rumsfeld is fired. Who should replace him? Did you think that far ahead, or do you just smell blood in the water and want to see someone, anyone, fired, without a care as to who replaces them?
Actually, five is enough, considering you'll never answer.
Arianna asked 20 questions for the president. Since we both know the president is likely not to answer her directly, and she would delete a post that smelled too right-of-center, I'll answer them here, and then ask 20 questions for her, that she won't answer, just like George!
1.) Last week, you insisted: "I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong... it's simply not true." Yet source after source after source suggests otherwise, including your former Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neil, who has said that invading Iraq was a goal set out at your first National Security Council meeting, just ten days after your inauguration: "It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The president saying 'Go find me a way to do this.'" Mr. President, is Paul O'Neil lying?
From your own source, the president wanted to get rid of Saddam. Not necessarily via warfare, just get rid of him. He gave Saddam 48 hours warning to leave the country, or face military force. This policy of regime change in Iraq is in keeping with the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which passed 360-38 in the house, and was signed by Clinton.
Here's some questions right back at you, Arianna. Where does a man who uses chemical weapons on civilians in his own country and lets his sons rape women belong? In prison, or in charge of a country with 4th largest oil reserves on the planet? Also, when Congress passes a bill advocating regime change in a country, should the president change that regime, or just lob a few cruise missiles at the country every once in a while to distract people from his sex scandals?
2.) Despite the fact that dozens of Iraqis a day are dying in sectarian violence, you continue to insist that Iraq is not in a civil war. How many dead Iraqis per day would it take before you'd be willing to concede that civil war has broken out?
What, exactly, is civil about blowing up churches and suicide bombings? Back in the American civil war, the war was actually civil. The South had civilian leadership, as did the north. The word for what is happening in Iraq is insurgency. If the people attacking civilians were fighting in the name of Saddam instead of Allah, you might have a case that it's a civil war. As it is, it's more like a holy(unholy) war.
Here's a question for you: If you knew a civil war in Iraq would put a democrat in the whitehouse in 2008, would you cheer it on, no matter how many Iraqis had to die from he democrat's short-lived political gain?
3.) Speaking of civil war, your Iraq-is-not-a-civil-war assessment was directly contradicted by former prime minister Ayad Allawi, a man whose credibility you considered unimpeachable in 2004, saying: "He's a brave, brave man... You can't change the dynamics on the ground if you've criticized the brave leader of Iraq." Has your opinion of him changed now that he's no longer saying what you want to hear?
Bush is not criticizing Allawi, he is DISAGREEING with him. Also, you will notice that Allawi is no longer the leader of Iraq, and therefore has little to do with the "dynamics on the ground" anymore. Bush was talking about diplomacy, you can't insult someone and say they are a puppet and expect to be able to deal with them cordially when you talk to them. And had Allawi maintained office after the elections, and Kerry been elected, That would have been a very rocky relationship indeed.
Here's a question back at you: do you take it as a personal insult whenever someone dares to disagree with you?
4.) Allawi has said: "We are losing each day, as an average, 50 to 60 people through the country, if not more. If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." Do you think this is something you might discuss with God next time you speak?
Bush does not have conversations with God. He said Jesus was his favorite philosopher. Einstien's my favorite philosopher, and after reading about Einstien's life, it changed my heart. Jesus changed my heart too, but I hope you see where I'm going with this. I don't have conversations with either Einstien or Jesus.
Here's your question: who do you think is a bigger religious nutbag, Bush, or Ahmadinejad? Also, do you think mocking Bush for his Christianity is a good way to make a point when 75% of the country is Christian?
5.) You have steadfastly supported Secretary Rumsfeld, recently claiming: "He's done a fine job." Just how bad would things have to get before you'd be willing to downgrade that to "a so-so job"? What, in your eyes, would you consider "a really crummy job"?
A so-so job is starting a blog and inviting a bunch of celebrities to post on it. A "really crummy job" is faking a George Clooney post.
Here's your question: let's say you get your wish, and Rumsfeld is fired. Who should replace him? Did you think that far ahead, or do you just smell blood in the water and want to see someone, anyone, fired, without a care as to who replaces them?
Actually, five is enough, considering you'll never answer.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
With spring comes pain.
Ick, ick, ick. Some insane impulse sent me out jogging after work. It just so happens that my block is ever so slightly under 1/2 mile, so we'll just call two times around the block a mile, k? K.
Now, I can bench 300, but cardio is sorely lacking in my routine. Now that the weather is nicer, it's time to change that. So I went out for a jog, and here's what I now know.
It takes 5 minutes for me to jog 1/2 mile.
It takes 9 minutes for me to walk 1/2 mile.
It takes 14 minutes for me to travel a mile.
Now, in my defense, it's slightly faster. This benchmark includes the time it takes for me to lock my door, and unlock 2 doors. (the door to my floor, and the door to my apartment). However, it's fair to say I'm staring down the barrel of 14 minute mile. Hopefully over the summer I can work myself up to 3 miles/day with at least one of those miles being a 7-minute mile.
I intend to work myself down to 10-minute mile before adding more distance, and I intend to go inside to drink some water after every mile.
Meanwhile, I find it sick we are starving a woman to death, and I find it sick we are taking the word of a wife beating psychopathic adulterer that she wants to die.
For the record, I DO NOT wish to be starved or suffocated to death. Should I ever reach a persistent vegatative state, I want heroic efforts to be taken to rehabilitate me for at least 2 years, and should I go beyond that, I want a lethal dose of painkillers. A informal poll I took:
If in Schiavo's situation...
Results (total votes = 33):
I would want to live 8 / 24.2%
I would want to be slowly starved to death 2 / 6.1%
I would would a swift merciful death 23 / 69.7%
Finally, if someone wants to keep me alive beyond two years and pay for it themselves, I say fuck it, let them. Let the money talk, as long as you don't torture me to death. And yes, starvation is TORTURE, anyone tries to starve me, I want them SUED.
If I fail to create a living will, this is to be considered my declared wishes on the matter.
Ick, ick, ick. Some insane impulse sent me out jogging after work. It just so happens that my block is ever so slightly under 1/2 mile, so we'll just call two times around the block a mile, k? K.
Now, I can bench 300, but cardio is sorely lacking in my routine. Now that the weather is nicer, it's time to change that. So I went out for a jog, and here's what I now know.
It takes 5 minutes for me to jog 1/2 mile.
It takes 9 minutes for me to walk 1/2 mile.
It takes 14 minutes for me to travel a mile.
Now, in my defense, it's slightly faster. This benchmark includes the time it takes for me to lock my door, and unlock 2 doors. (the door to my floor, and the door to my apartment). However, it's fair to say I'm staring down the barrel of 14 minute mile. Hopefully over the summer I can work myself up to 3 miles/day with at least one of those miles being a 7-minute mile.
I intend to work myself down to 10-minute mile before adding more distance, and I intend to go inside to drink some water after every mile.
Meanwhile, I find it sick we are starving a woman to death, and I find it sick we are taking the word of a wife beating psychopathic adulterer that she wants to die.
For the record, I DO NOT wish to be starved or suffocated to death. Should I ever reach a persistent vegatative state, I want heroic efforts to be taken to rehabilitate me for at least 2 years, and should I go beyond that, I want a lethal dose of painkillers. A informal poll I took:
If in Schiavo's situation...
Results (total votes = 33):
I would want to live 8 / 24.2%
I would want to be slowly starved to death 2 / 6.1%
I would would a swift merciful death 23 / 69.7%
The results speak for themselves. 69.7 of people don't believe starvation is good way to go even if it is time for the girl to die. Me, I don't think rehabilitation has been given enough of a chance. The parents deserve to keep trying as long as they have a shred of hope.
If my significant other is heartless and stupid enough to cheat on me while I am incapacitated in the hospital, I want a divorce, I want ALL their stuff and want those possessions to cover my expenses and/or be given to my nearest blood relatives. I want my lawyer to make my cheating significant's other's life a LIVING HELL for the next five years following my death.
If they initiate a divorce before they cheat, I wish them well, and hope they find love again. I'd like 1/4 of our stuff left behind to help pay my bills, if any is left when I'm dead she can have it back.Finally, if someone wants to keep me alive beyond two years and pay for it themselves, I say fuck it, let them. Let the money talk, as long as you don't torture me to death. And yes, starvation is TORTURE, anyone tries to starve me, I want them SUED.
If I fail to create a living will, this is to be considered my declared wishes on the matter.
Monday, February 21, 2005
A quickie
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larrykudlow/lk20050220.shtml
Bush clearly stated after last November’s election that his visionary Social Security reform plan to include personal savings accounts would not countenance payroll-tax increases. Just this week he undercut that position when he said an increase in the payroll-tax cap -- now $90,000 -- would be “on the table” in forthcoming negotiations with Congress. White House spokespeople have tried to suggest that an increase in the payroll-tax cap is not a new tax, and that only a rise in the payroll-tax rate would constitute a tax hike. This is nothing but doublespeak. The American public will see it for what it is.
This makes me laugh. The percentage of people who make more than 90k/year is barely more than 10%.
http://home.att.net/~rdavis2/richpay.html
Only 10% make more 92.75 k, and the impact is of course less for those making only just barely over 90k, as 12.4% of 2.75k is $341. So, a handful below(and not very far below) the top 10% will be asked to pay 341 smackers more in taxes, but other than that, here's a tax on the richest 10% of Americans.
And this guy is talking about "the American public"?? This guy in kinda foolish if he thinks the 90% of us not effected by this is going to develop sudden pity for our rich peers. Take it from me, Larry. No, the American public will WELCOME more taxes on the rich. The more taxes that get shifted toward the rich, the better, in many people's eyes. Especially if it's a mere extension of a REGRESSIVE tax that we have to pay and they previously didn't.
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/larrykudlow/lk20050220.shtml
Bush clearly stated after last November’s election that his visionary Social Security reform plan to include personal savings accounts would not countenance payroll-tax increases. Just this week he undercut that position when he said an increase in the payroll-tax cap -- now $90,000 -- would be “on the table” in forthcoming negotiations with Congress. White House spokespeople have tried to suggest that an increase in the payroll-tax cap is not a new tax, and that only a rise in the payroll-tax rate would constitute a tax hike. This is nothing but doublespeak. The American public will see it for what it is.
This makes me laugh. The percentage of people who make more than 90k/year is barely more than 10%.
http://home.att.net/~rdavis2/richpay.html
Only 10% make more 92.75 k, and the impact is of course less for those making only just barely over 90k, as 12.4% of 2.75k is $341. So, a handful below(and not very far below) the top 10% will be asked to pay 341 smackers more in taxes, but other than that, here's a tax on the richest 10% of Americans.
And this guy is talking about "the American public"?? This guy in kinda foolish if he thinks the 90% of us not effected by this is going to develop sudden pity for our rich peers. Take it from me, Larry. No, the American public will WELCOME more taxes on the rich. The more taxes that get shifted toward the rich, the better, in many people's eyes. Especially if it's a mere extension of a REGRESSIVE tax that we have to pay and they previously didn't.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Not much to say when you're high above the mucky-muck
Well, it's been a while since I posted, and much has happened. On the political front, the Kyoto protocol has entered into force. For those of you who don't know, the Kyoto protocol was designed by bunch of anti-American eco-whackos, who wanted to straightjacket the U.S. economy in order to delay the effects of global warming by six years.
The Kyoto protocol will become entirely irrelevant in the next few years, as thermal depolymerization spreads, and fossil fuels are depleted. And that's just from a carbon balance perspective.
From the perspective of warming itself, I believe what warming we do experience shall be expertly harnessed by mankind.some area will grow wetter, and some will grow dryer, BUT, irrigation or new water management techniques, combined with extra heat to work with, will surely lead to more water available on the balance.
Agricultural yields will continue to climb thanks to enhanced care techniques, and higher carbon content. Combined with the increased moisture, the planet will get greener.
But meanwhile, we have 7 years of Kyoto ahead. What will this mean? Well, more of what we've already been seeing. The European economy will remain stagnant, and suffer from capital flight as firms escape the oppressive regulations. China, with no Kyoto obligation, will grow rapidly. The US can hope to pick up a few relocating European firms, but most will choose to outsource to India or China.
The dollar is low against the Euro now, but the US growth is far strong than the European Union. In a few years, tourism in Europe will become VERY affordable.
Constantine (3 Stars)
Saw this yesterday. Was an enjoyable flick. Shia LaBeouf is getting some interesting minor roles, and it looks like he has good potential. Tilda Swinton looked very good. A couple of nutbags, like A. O. Scott and Sean Axmaker, accused her of cross-dressing or looking too androgynous in the movie. Hunh? She was looking HOT! Critics are nuts sometimes
Drinks
I've been sampling a few drinks lately, and here's my opinion on what I have sampled:
Big Tattoo Red Wine
The bottlers call this an "explosion of fruit", and they aren't kidding. The flavors are very strong. This wine is not quite as dry as a merlot, but it is on the dryer side. All in all it was enjoyable to drink.
Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale
Man, I love this stuff. Very tasty blend of spices. Not so much of a beer-ish beer, if you get my meaning, kind of a desert beer. I highly recommend it.
Goose Island IPA
I'm a sucker for a good IPA, and this is a good one. Not quite as good as the IPAs I remembered from Diamond Knot, but it may just be because it's in a bottle instead of on tap.
I finally had Newcastle on tap. At first, it was enjoyable, a nice creamy head to begin with, and some nice sips. But then I starting getting some wierd funky aftertaste. But then my food came. Now, some beer's I've had, they taste good on an empty stomach, but, well, suck after I've eaten a little food. They take on a nasty bitterness for some reason. It's like how orange juice tastes too tart after you've just had something sweeter. Newcastle actually tasted BETTER after I had a little food in my mouth, which was a nice pleasant surprise.
Meanwhile, I also tried Amber Bock for the first time. It was Almost the same color as Newcastle, but didn't have nearly as much taste as Newcastle. It was decent enough to pass the time with.
Another "drink" I had was B to the E. DO NOT DRINK THIS! It is nasty. I you want to know what this tastes like, mix a crappy beer, a redbull, and horse piss, and leave it in the sun for 2 days. I will never buy this shit again. If you must drink alcohol mixed with caffiene, I recommend going with maybe bailey's and coffee, a jaeger bomb, or even sparks. Sparks is a kind of girlish drink, but it picks flavors that actually go good with taurine. B to the E tries, and fails, to mix beer-ness with taurine-ness.
Anyway, that's what I got for now. Not like this blog is gonna save the world.
Well, it's been a while since I posted, and much has happened. On the political front, the Kyoto protocol has entered into force. For those of you who don't know, the Kyoto protocol was designed by bunch of anti-American eco-whackos, who wanted to straightjacket the U.S. economy in order to delay the effects of global warming by six years.
The Kyoto protocol will become entirely irrelevant in the next few years, as thermal depolymerization spreads, and fossil fuels are depleted. And that's just from a carbon balance perspective.
From the perspective of warming itself, I believe what warming we do experience shall be expertly harnessed by mankind.some area will grow wetter, and some will grow dryer, BUT, irrigation or new water management techniques, combined with extra heat to work with, will surely lead to more water available on the balance.
Agricultural yields will continue to climb thanks to enhanced care techniques, and higher carbon content. Combined with the increased moisture, the planet will get greener.
But meanwhile, we have 7 years of Kyoto ahead. What will this mean? Well, more of what we've already been seeing. The European economy will remain stagnant, and suffer from capital flight as firms escape the oppressive regulations. China, with no Kyoto obligation, will grow rapidly. The US can hope to pick up a few relocating European firms, but most will choose to outsource to India or China.
The dollar is low against the Euro now, but the US growth is far strong than the European Union. In a few years, tourism in Europe will become VERY affordable.
Constantine (3 Stars)
Saw this yesterday. Was an enjoyable flick. Shia LaBeouf is getting some interesting minor roles, and it looks like he has good potential. Tilda Swinton looked very good. A couple of nutbags, like A. O. Scott and Sean Axmaker, accused her of cross-dressing or looking too androgynous in the movie. Hunh? She was looking HOT! Critics are nuts sometimes
Drinks
I've been sampling a few drinks lately, and here's my opinion on what I have sampled:
Big Tattoo Red Wine
The bottlers call this an "explosion of fruit", and they aren't kidding. The flavors are very strong. This wine is not quite as dry as a merlot, but it is on the dryer side. All in all it was enjoyable to drink.
Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale
Man, I love this stuff. Very tasty blend of spices. Not so much of a beer-ish beer, if you get my meaning, kind of a desert beer. I highly recommend it.
Goose Island IPA
I'm a sucker for a good IPA, and this is a good one. Not quite as good as the IPAs I remembered from Diamond Knot, but it may just be because it's in a bottle instead of on tap.
I finally had Newcastle on tap. At first, it was enjoyable, a nice creamy head to begin with, and some nice sips. But then I starting getting some wierd funky aftertaste. But then my food came. Now, some beer's I've had, they taste good on an empty stomach, but, well, suck after I've eaten a little food. They take on a nasty bitterness for some reason. It's like how orange juice tastes too tart after you've just had something sweeter. Newcastle actually tasted BETTER after I had a little food in my mouth, which was a nice pleasant surprise.
Meanwhile, I also tried Amber Bock for the first time. It was Almost the same color as Newcastle, but didn't have nearly as much taste as Newcastle. It was decent enough to pass the time with.
Another "drink" I had was B to the E. DO NOT DRINK THIS! It is nasty. I you want to know what this tastes like, mix a crappy beer, a redbull, and horse piss, and leave it in the sun for 2 days. I will never buy this shit again. If you must drink alcohol mixed with caffiene, I recommend going with maybe bailey's and coffee, a jaeger bomb, or even sparks. Sparks is a kind of girlish drink, but it picks flavors that actually go good with taurine. B to the E tries, and fails, to mix beer-ness with taurine-ness.
Anyway, that's what I got for now. Not like this blog is gonna save the world.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Toga! Toga!
So, here's the layout of the toga weekend. I phoned my parents to warn them they had incoming. They offered dinner despite the late hour of my arrival, and I of course accepted. When I get there, they are getting the food ready still, and say "so, like, why are you here?" I may have mentioned the toga party in passing to them, but I certainly hadn't said enough to sink in. Oh well. I get some steak&shrimp that night, yum yum yum.
Afterward, I roll on out to the house of my high school friends, Worm and The Bouncer, to chill for a while, discuss leet toga strats, and inform them of the now-infamous HOOF GIRL. (NOT WORK SAFE)
We hung out till about midnight, then I went back to my parents house. I left a note so they'd wake me up for breakfast, if they were having anything. Turns out, dad went out to the gym to whittle down the gut, and so I woke up unhurried at about 9 am. Dad got back from the gym made breakfast.
After breakfast I tried to get him interested in Galactic Civilizations. He complained about complexity, and didn't even try to get into the game. I have a feeling he'll love it when he succumbs. Anyway, while I was trying to get my dad to try new things, my brother calls, wanting me to come hang out a bit, and read a short story he's written called "Nicotene Kisses". I tell him I'll see if I can work him in during the Toga-preparation festivities.
Worm and I hit hobby lobby, and get our 6 yards of black. Then we find some leafy thing to work as laurels. They we hit the store for supplies: Grey Goose, Godiva White Chocolate liquor, everclear, and triple-sec. The Bouncer made a different trip. Eventually my brother calls, and I head over to his place, until The Bouncer gets home. I am mortified by the content of the "Nicotene Kisses" story, because involves events of which I have no recollection, and, are quite embarrassing. You know, the kind of stuff you did when you were 5 that you hope NO ONE EVER HEARS ABOUT? That's what "Nicotene Kisses" is. Ixnay on the onfiction-nay, bro.
Anyway, once The Bouncer is home, I head over there, and make the first attempt at tying my toga, while The Bouncer makes "Everclear Apple Pie Drink"
The ingredients are:
3 cinammin sticks
1 gallon apple juice
1 gallon apple cider
2 cups sugar
1 bottle everclear
directions are, heat it, to let some of the alcohol boil off and let the cinammin taste circulate, and then let it cool for 2 hours before bottling into jugs.
I got my first attempt at a toga working, meanwhile john and joe arrive. I help john with some of his costume, and The Bouncer with some of his costume. Meanwhile, some of my pins come out so I have to redo mine.
We leave the apple pie drink to cool, and head off to buy the ice. We draw many stares from the people at the grocery store. It was sweet. We arrive at the party, and I start carrying in some leftover lime juice, tanqueray, and triple-sec. My toga falls completely apart, and I spend the next five minutes in the bathroom re-doing it.
When I come out, I'm thinking of making myself a tanqueray kamikaze to get the ball rolling. But the triple-sec has disappeared! *gasp*
So, I'm like, hey, where's the triple-sec? Eventually, the host, in horror, explains she added it to the wop. Ouch, so I have to wait for Worm to show up with the new bottle of triple-sec before I can have my kamikazes. Oh well, I start off the night with some wop. It didn't taste bad, but I wasn't really in the mood for ice and cold pieces of fruit mixed with my booze.
The kareoke starts up and I give the song "daughter" a try. I didn't butcher it, but it wasn't awesome. I wanted to sing "bring me to life" with someone, so I had them fill out the card for it. I also submitted "Free Fallin". I got two songs I do pretty good consistently on. "Big Balls" and "Simple Man". and I wanted to try "Gimme Three Steps" that night as well.
I figured I might give big balls a rest for the night, but then someone laid down the preemptive strike. Some OTHER dude started singing it. At this point, I'm standing by some friends, wincing, and they all assure me I can do it 10x better. For one... the dude has his voice waaaay too low. For another, he isn't even attempting the accents and inflections.
The line is
The social pages say I've got the biggest balls of all.
Now, in ordinary everyday american speech, you social "soh-shul". Not in this song. It's Soh-see-al. That, and other things. Well, I'm thinking of submitting big balls to show'em how it's done right there and then, but then God decides to one up, and shut the power off. Out come the lighters and we check the breakers. Soon, people go to their cars for flashlights, and realize several blocks lost power.
So, we're in the dark, and I'm itching to sing. I see all those lighters out, so I try to get a little "silent night" going. The darkness definately slowed my drinking down. I some grey goose, yeash, maybe I shoulda mixed it, it's a nasty shot. But I did find that, as I suspected, Godiva and Triple-sec are AWESOME together.
After a while, I start singing "it's a great day for me to whup somebody's ass" I have Worm backing me up, with percussion and refrain. A few drinks later,(both alcoholic and non) I'm quietly ranting about how the shitty singing of big balls took out the power, and got a couple of back-up singers and sang it in the dark. And lo, and behold, as I sang, the power came on!
Everyone cheered. and then the kareoke restarted, first by letting the dude who sang big balls do it again. And Then I did it later too. So, all told the crowd had to listen to the song 4 times. lol.
Meanwhile, the power outage cut me short. "Gimme Three Steps" was in the queue, and never happened. Grr.
Besides people's togas falling apart throughout the night, a couple other interesting thing happened-- I picked up the host, who is a short skinny girl, fireman styple, and spun her around while Worm hit her with the loose end of his toga, locker-room towel style. This one girl grab what must have been a gallon jug of wine, and drank it straigh from the jug. she didn't make much of a did before she fell asleep on the couch. after all she woke up at 4 am that morning. As the night wound down, there was PLENTY of wop left. I think would have been better to use a punch bowl rather than a cooler. Alas, my poor triple-sec!
The wop also suffered from heavy competition-- jello shots, jeremy's apple pie mix(all two gallons got drank), etc etc. A bottle of margarita mix went un-opened the whole night. Several wine bottles also survived-- only the plum wine was cracked. I was gonna try mixing godiva with another fruit wine if one was opened, but none others were.
Anyway, Worm and I decided to crash right there. I think I was sober enough to drive, I was staying mostly sober, 1-2 drinks/hour so I could sing... but I also had no sense of time and hence was going slower.
But I decided to pour myself a nice godiva/triple-sec nightcap. It didn't work. Worm's GF, also staying the night, was coughing, and so I couldn't sleep. Then she started crying (I have no idea why). Anyway, I was laying there, listening to her cry, wishing she would shut up and sleep like a normal person, and realizing there was absolutely nothing I could do. Whatever it was she was crying about, I couldn't solve the problem or cheer her up. Besides, if Worm could sleep through that crying, I guess I'd wince a bear it. But I hate that feeling, when you hear a girl crying and realizing you can't help her. And the problem is only exascerbated by the self-interest of the situation! It's bad enough she's crying, but the fact that her crying was keeping me awake just adds a whole new dimension as to how messed up the situation.
I'm a light sleeper, so I was up once it was light outside, and started doing a little pickup. The host was at her apartment, we were in a separate building in her apartment complex's property.
I got a lotta cups and stuff off the floor, packed up the excess booze from what I bought, and headed to my parents house for a shower. Then I met up with my parents for brunch. After that, back to my own apartment. I was too tired to shop and stuff, so my house has no perishables in it, I cleaned myself out before the road trip. But now that I've sat in front of the screen for a while, going out shopping is gaining appeal. Plus I haven't eaten since 11:00 am. But mainly, I wanted to get this all written down before I did much else.
So, here's the layout of the toga weekend. I phoned my parents to warn them they had incoming. They offered dinner despite the late hour of my arrival, and I of course accepted. When I get there, they are getting the food ready still, and say "so, like, why are you here?" I may have mentioned the toga party in passing to them, but I certainly hadn't said enough to sink in. Oh well. I get some steak&shrimp that night, yum yum yum.
Afterward, I roll on out to the house of my high school friends, Worm and The Bouncer, to chill for a while, discuss leet toga strats, and inform them of the now-infamous HOOF GIRL. (NOT WORK SAFE)
We hung out till about midnight, then I went back to my parents house. I left a note so they'd wake me up for breakfast, if they were having anything. Turns out, dad went out to the gym to whittle down the gut, and so I woke up unhurried at about 9 am. Dad got back from the gym made breakfast.
After breakfast I tried to get him interested in Galactic Civilizations. He complained about complexity, and didn't even try to get into the game. I have a feeling he'll love it when he succumbs. Anyway, while I was trying to get my dad to try new things, my brother calls, wanting me to come hang out a bit, and read a short story he's written called "Nicotene Kisses". I tell him I'll see if I can work him in during the Toga-preparation festivities.
Worm and I hit hobby lobby, and get our 6 yards of black. Then we find some leafy thing to work as laurels. They we hit the store for supplies: Grey Goose, Godiva White Chocolate liquor, everclear, and triple-sec. The Bouncer made a different trip. Eventually my brother calls, and I head over to his place, until The Bouncer gets home. I am mortified by the content of the "Nicotene Kisses" story, because involves events of which I have no recollection, and, are quite embarrassing. You know, the kind of stuff you did when you were 5 that you hope NO ONE EVER HEARS ABOUT? That's what "Nicotene Kisses" is. Ixnay on the onfiction-nay, bro.
Anyway, once The Bouncer is home, I head over there, and make the first attempt at tying my toga, while The Bouncer makes "Everclear Apple Pie Drink"
The ingredients are:
3 cinammin sticks
1 gallon apple juice
1 gallon apple cider
2 cups sugar
1 bottle everclear
directions are, heat it, to let some of the alcohol boil off and let the cinammin taste circulate, and then let it cool for 2 hours before bottling into jugs.
I got my first attempt at a toga working, meanwhile john and joe arrive. I help john with some of his costume, and The Bouncer with some of his costume. Meanwhile, some of my pins come out so I have to redo mine.
We leave the apple pie drink to cool, and head off to buy the ice. We draw many stares from the people at the grocery store. It was sweet. We arrive at the party, and I start carrying in some leftover lime juice, tanqueray, and triple-sec. My toga falls completely apart, and I spend the next five minutes in the bathroom re-doing it.
When I come out, I'm thinking of making myself a tanqueray kamikaze to get the ball rolling. But the triple-sec has disappeared! *gasp*
So, I'm like, hey, where's the triple-sec? Eventually, the host, in horror, explains she added it to the wop. Ouch, so I have to wait for Worm to show up with the new bottle of triple-sec before I can have my kamikazes. Oh well, I start off the night with some wop. It didn't taste bad, but I wasn't really in the mood for ice and cold pieces of fruit mixed with my booze.
The kareoke starts up and I give the song "daughter" a try. I didn't butcher it, but it wasn't awesome. I wanted to sing "bring me to life" with someone, so I had them fill out the card for it. I also submitted "Free Fallin". I got two songs I do pretty good consistently on. "Big Balls" and "Simple Man". and I wanted to try "Gimme Three Steps" that night as well.
I figured I might give big balls a rest for the night, but then someone laid down the preemptive strike. Some OTHER dude started singing it. At this point, I'm standing by some friends, wincing, and they all assure me I can do it 10x better. For one... the dude has his voice waaaay too low. For another, he isn't even attempting the accents and inflections.
The line is
The social pages say I've got the biggest balls of all.
Now, in ordinary everyday american speech, you social "soh-shul". Not in this song. It's Soh-see-al. That, and other things. Well, I'm thinking of submitting big balls to show'em how it's done right there and then, but then God decides to one up, and shut the power off. Out come the lighters and we check the breakers. Soon, people go to their cars for flashlights, and realize several blocks lost power.
So, we're in the dark, and I'm itching to sing. I see all those lighters out, so I try to get a little "silent night" going. The darkness definately slowed my drinking down. I some grey goose, yeash, maybe I shoulda mixed it, it's a nasty shot. But I did find that, as I suspected, Godiva and Triple-sec are AWESOME together.
After a while, I start singing "it's a great day for me to whup somebody's ass" I have Worm backing me up, with percussion and refrain. A few drinks later,(both alcoholic and non) I'm quietly ranting about how the shitty singing of big balls took out the power, and got a couple of back-up singers and sang it in the dark. And lo, and behold, as I sang, the power came on!
Everyone cheered. and then the kareoke restarted, first by letting the dude who sang big balls do it again. And Then I did it later too. So, all told the crowd had to listen to the song 4 times. lol.
Meanwhile, the power outage cut me short. "Gimme Three Steps" was in the queue, and never happened. Grr.
Besides people's togas falling apart throughout the night, a couple other interesting thing happened-- I picked up the host, who is a short skinny girl, fireman styple, and spun her around while Worm hit her with the loose end of his toga, locker-room towel style. This one girl grab what must have been a gallon jug of wine, and drank it straigh from the jug. she didn't make much of a did before she fell asleep on the couch. after all she woke up at 4 am that morning. As the night wound down, there was PLENTY of wop left. I think would have been better to use a punch bowl rather than a cooler. Alas, my poor triple-sec!
The wop also suffered from heavy competition-- jello shots, jeremy's apple pie mix(all two gallons got drank), etc etc. A bottle of margarita mix went un-opened the whole night. Several wine bottles also survived-- only the plum wine was cracked. I was gonna try mixing godiva with another fruit wine if one was opened, but none others were.
Anyway, Worm and I decided to crash right there. I think I was sober enough to drive, I was staying mostly sober, 1-2 drinks/hour so I could sing... but I also had no sense of time and hence was going slower.
But I decided to pour myself a nice godiva/triple-sec nightcap. It didn't work. Worm's GF, also staying the night, was coughing, and so I couldn't sleep. Then she started crying (I have no idea why). Anyway, I was laying there, listening to her cry, wishing she would shut up and sleep like a normal person, and realizing there was absolutely nothing I could do. Whatever it was she was crying about, I couldn't solve the problem or cheer her up. Besides, if Worm could sleep through that crying, I guess I'd wince a bear it. But I hate that feeling, when you hear a girl crying and realizing you can't help her. And the problem is only exascerbated by the self-interest of the situation! It's bad enough she's crying, but the fact that her crying was keeping me awake just adds a whole new dimension as to how messed up the situation.
I'm a light sleeper, so I was up once it was light outside, and started doing a little pickup. The host was at her apartment, we were in a separate building in her apartment complex's property.
I got a lotta cups and stuff off the floor, packed up the excess booze from what I bought, and headed to my parents house for a shower. Then I met up with my parents for brunch. After that, back to my own apartment. I was too tired to shop and stuff, so my house has no perishables in it, I cleaned myself out before the road trip. But now that I've sat in front of the screen for a while, going out shopping is gaining appeal. Plus I haven't eaten since 11:00 am. But mainly, I wanted to get this all written down before I did much else.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
What is Bigotry?
At this point in my blogging career, I only have one fan. And so, I ask my single fan for a subject. So far she has given me three. Well, easiest one first:
Why do kids get snow days and grown-ups don't?
Because grownups don't deserve them. Kids don't deserve them either, but the grownups haven't caught on yet.
The next subject under discussion is the unhealthy obsession people have with certain kinds of beer. Specifically, Newcastle addicts. I tried a 6-pack once, it wasn't that impressive. Sheesh.
Finally, on the subject of bigotry. I think the subject of bigotry was best explained in the episode the episode called "The Death Camp of Tolerance". When they enter the hall of stereotypes, full of wax figures that are stereotypes, they find the sleepy mexican stereotype, only to find out he is not a wax figure. And then, as they exit the museum of tolerance, the tour guide berates a smoker.
The moral? Everyone is a bigot to some degree. Some people are aware of their prejudices, some are not. Some are so far gone in la-la land that they would deny factual events, like the holocaust. I could rant more about the subject of bigotry, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone have said it all.
On the holocaust, I will propose one provacative question. The holocaust is considered by some to be the worst tradegdy of the 20th century. 12 million people died, 6 million jews, the other 6 million being gypsies, poles, blacks, jehovah's witnesses, homosexuals, the disabled, christian clergy, plus any resistors.
However, the holocaust, as horrible as it is, was surpassed, in sheer terms of loss of life, by 3 other events of the 20th century: Stalin's brutal regime which killed 20 million, China's Great leap forward which caused 30 million to starve, and abortion in the US, where 40 million lives have been terminated. Now, I know there's some people out there tonight who would get riled up at abortion being compared to the holocaust, and, well, I'd have to say that's bigotry against the unborn. Even though I believe abortion should remain legal, I'd have to call a spade a spade.
So, here is my provacative question: why do so many people think the holocaust is the worst tradgedy of the 20th century, when, in sheer terms of loss of life, it is not? Is it because Hitler lost, and thus we demonized him? Is it Eurocentrism, moreover, western eurocentrism, such that we forget about those russians and chinese? Or, and I can hear the growls that I write this, but must write it to be inclusive, is it the influence the jews have on western media?
Well, here's hoping I having alienated my one fan. PUBLISH!
At this point in my blogging career, I only have one fan. And so, I ask my single fan for a subject. So far she has given me three. Well, easiest one first:
Why do kids get snow days and grown-ups don't?
Because grownups don't deserve them. Kids don't deserve them either, but the grownups haven't caught on yet.
The next subject under discussion is the unhealthy obsession people have with certain kinds of beer. Specifically, Newcastle addicts. I tried a 6-pack once, it wasn't that impressive. Sheesh.
Finally, on the subject of bigotry. I think the subject of bigotry was best explained in the episode the episode called "The Death Camp of Tolerance". When they enter the hall of stereotypes, full of wax figures that are stereotypes, they find the sleepy mexican stereotype, only to find out he is not a wax figure. And then, as they exit the museum of tolerance, the tour guide berates a smoker.
The moral? Everyone is a bigot to some degree. Some people are aware of their prejudices, some are not. Some are so far gone in la-la land that they would deny factual events, like the holocaust. I could rant more about the subject of bigotry, but Trey Parker and Matt Stone have said it all.
On the holocaust, I will propose one provacative question. The holocaust is considered by some to be the worst tradegdy of the 20th century. 12 million people died, 6 million jews, the other 6 million being gypsies, poles, blacks, jehovah's witnesses, homosexuals, the disabled, christian clergy, plus any resistors.
However, the holocaust, as horrible as it is, was surpassed, in sheer terms of loss of life, by 3 other events of the 20th century: Stalin's brutal regime which killed 20 million, China's Great leap forward which caused 30 million to starve, and abortion in the US, where 40 million lives have been terminated. Now, I know there's some people out there tonight who would get riled up at abortion being compared to the holocaust, and, well, I'd have to say that's bigotry against the unborn. Even though I believe abortion should remain legal, I'd have to call a spade a spade.
So, here is my provacative question: why do so many people think the holocaust is the worst tradgedy of the 20th century, when, in sheer terms of loss of life, it is not? Is it because Hitler lost, and thus we demonized him? Is it Eurocentrism, moreover, western eurocentrism, such that we forget about those russians and chinese? Or, and I can hear the growls that I write this, but must write it to be inclusive, is it the influence the jews have on western media?
Well, here's hoping I having alienated my one fan. PUBLISH!
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
What Mandate?
Bush has been making some silly claims about the results of the election. That it has given him a mandate to reform social security, for instance. I'm sorry, Mr. President, but I have to remind you, your opponent sucked. The only mandate you have is to 1. Not be a manwhore, and 2. not be more liberal than Ted Kennedy. That's all. No social security tampering, etc.
In order to understand what social security is, you first have to realize that socialism is not inherently evil. It can be abused for great evil, but it is not inherently so. Socialism does not dictate a surrender of civil freedoms, only economic freedoms. And some economic freedoms are not worth having, for example, the freedom to pollute the commons.
That, said, let's call a spade a spade. Social Security is socialism. It is wealth redistribution, from those who produce, to those who no longer produce. Do not pretend the system is designed so that people only get out what they put in-- the system was designed to encourage the elderly to NOT WORK, in order that they do not steal jobs from the young.
It is not a retirement plan. It is not a right. And as soon as you give the money to the government, it is no longer "yours". It is not being set aside for you to be used in your old age, it is being given to a living senior citizen.
But back to socialism. Social Security is a socialistic counterbalance to insulate our society from the worst ravages of rampant out-of-control capitalism. Indeed, the event which led to the existence of Social Security was a stock market crash. This is why social security absolutely must not be privatised-- the money currently being put toward social security would be invested in the stock market. During good times, this would not be problematical. However, during bad times, this will have a catastrophic effect on the savings of senior citizens.
If we revamp social security and turn it into a glorified retirement fund, it will one day fail us for sure. Our current system keeps the forces of depression at bay. Tinkering with it is a recipe for disaster.
Bush has been making some silly claims about the results of the election. That it has given him a mandate to reform social security, for instance. I'm sorry, Mr. President, but I have to remind you, your opponent sucked. The only mandate you have is to 1. Not be a manwhore, and 2. not be more liberal than Ted Kennedy. That's all. No social security tampering, etc.
In order to understand what social security is, you first have to realize that socialism is not inherently evil. It can be abused for great evil, but it is not inherently so. Socialism does not dictate a surrender of civil freedoms, only economic freedoms. And some economic freedoms are not worth having, for example, the freedom to pollute the commons.
That, said, let's call a spade a spade. Social Security is socialism. It is wealth redistribution, from those who produce, to those who no longer produce. Do not pretend the system is designed so that people only get out what they put in-- the system was designed to encourage the elderly to NOT WORK, in order that they do not steal jobs from the young.
It is not a retirement plan. It is not a right. And as soon as you give the money to the government, it is no longer "yours". It is not being set aside for you to be used in your old age, it is being given to a living senior citizen.
But back to socialism. Social Security is a socialistic counterbalance to insulate our society from the worst ravages of rampant out-of-control capitalism. Indeed, the event which led to the existence of Social Security was a stock market crash. This is why social security absolutely must not be privatised-- the money currently being put toward social security would be invested in the stock market. During good times, this would not be problematical. However, during bad times, this will have a catastrophic effect on the savings of senior citizens.
If we revamp social security and turn it into a glorified retirement fund, it will one day fail us for sure. Our current system keeps the forces of depression at bay. Tinkering with it is a recipe for disaster.
