Ear candy...
Just have to mention in passing, I had ordered a few things from Amazon (DVDs and a CD) and I finally got to cracking the plastic on the CD the other day. It’s Beck’s latest, Guero and it’s simply wonderful...
I prayed heaven today
would bring its hammer down on me
and pound you out of my head
I can’t think with you in it
I dragged all that I owned
down a dirt road to find you
my shoes worn out and used
they can’t take me much farther
something always takes the place
of missing pieces
you can take and put together even though
you know there's something missing
the sun burned a hole in my roof
I can’t seem to fix it
I hope the rain doesn’t come
and wash me down the gutter
she rides in a car like a queen on a card
and the guns of her mind aim a line
straight at mine to a heart that was broke
tried to feel but got choked in the smoke of a desert
a beach with no leisure a night that’s so blue
feed the aching in you and the background
birds take a flight from the earth
where the bonfire burns and the night
current turns on a lifeboat floating
down a river of sleep
I can’t see her hollow eyes
I’m walkin along with my boots full of rocks
I can't believe these tears were mine
I’ll give them to you to put away in a box
something always takes the place of
missing pieces you can take and put
together even though
you know there’s something missing
something always missing always
someone missing something
Apr 22, 2005
Caught between the two extremes...
The trend over the last several weeks seems to have been of bouncing between subjects either sacred or profane. There’s no discernible cause for this that I am aware of other than the fact we are all more than we appear to be (or what others would believe us to be).
In any event, I was doing some exploration in conjunction with trying to find out the name of the program on the history of Judaism which I had seen on PBS and I came across some other information which I found fascinating and thought I would pass along...
Samaritanism is a religion related to Judaism in that it accepts the Torah as its holy book, though there are differences in the version accepted. Samaritanists consider Jewish thinkers after the Torah as having been led astray while they themselves stayed to the true religion. Their temple was at Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem. Very few followers remain today: about 500 living near Mt. Gerizim.
further...
Like the Jews, the Samaritans are both a religious and an ethnic group. Ethnically, they are descended from the inhabitants of Samaria from the beginning of the Babylonian Exile up to the beginning of the Christian era. Religiously, they are the adherents of Samaritanism which resembles Temple or pre-rabbinical Judaism.
Which ties into this...
This parable is one of the most famous in the Bible and its influence is such that to be called a Samaritan in Western culture today is to be described as a generous person who is ready to provide aid to people in distress without hesitation. In many English-speaking countries, a Good Samaritan law exists to protect from liability those who choose to aid people who are seriously ill or injured.
It is important to note that Samaritans were despised as apostates by the story’s target audience. Thus the parable, as told originally, had a significant theme of non-discrimination and interracial harmony. But as the Samaritan population dwindled to near-extinction, this aspect of the parable became less and less discernible: fewer and fewer people ever met or interacted with Samaritans, or even heard of them in any context other than this one.
The trend over the last several weeks seems to have been of bouncing between subjects either sacred or profane. There’s no discernible cause for this that I am aware of other than the fact we are all more than we appear to be (or what others would believe us to be).
In any event, I was doing some exploration in conjunction with trying to find out the name of the program on the history of Judaism which I had seen on PBS and I came across some other information which I found fascinating and thought I would pass along...
Samaritanism is a religion related to Judaism in that it accepts the Torah as its holy book, though there are differences in the version accepted. Samaritanists consider Jewish thinkers after the Torah as having been led astray while they themselves stayed to the true religion. Their temple was at Mount Gerizim, not Jerusalem. Very few followers remain today: about 500 living near Mt. Gerizim.
further...
Like the Jews, the Samaritans are both a religious and an ethnic group. Ethnically, they are descended from the inhabitants of Samaria from the beginning of the Babylonian Exile up to the beginning of the Christian era. Religiously, they are the adherents of Samaritanism which resembles Temple or pre-rabbinical Judaism.
Which ties into this...
This parable is one of the most famous in the Bible and its influence is such that to be called a Samaritan in Western culture today is to be described as a generous person who is ready to provide aid to people in distress without hesitation. In many English-speaking countries, a Good Samaritan law exists to protect from liability those who choose to aid people who are seriously ill or injured.
It is important to note that Samaritans were despised as apostates by the story’s target audience. Thus the parable, as told originally, had a significant theme of non-discrimination and interracial harmony. But as the Samaritan population dwindled to near-extinction, this aspect of the parable became less and less discernible: fewer and fewer people ever met or interacted with Samaritans, or even heard of them in any context other than this one.
I caught this show one night...
I was up really late while doing the nightshift thing and I found myself just fascinated by this show that I caught on PBS. Either I don’t remember learning this in school or more than likely as most teenagers, I wasn’t paying attention. I find myself more and more fascinated by the study of history as the years go by.
I was up really late while doing the nightshift thing and I found myself just fascinated by this show that I caught on PBS. Either I don’t remember learning this in school or more than likely as most teenagers, I wasn’t paying attention. I find myself more and more fascinated by the study of history as the years go by.
Apr 18, 2005
Be the “hit” of the party...
Singles Mixer: Weed out the Possibles from the Randoms (New York City)
To register
1) Go online to www.OneKeyAway.com
2) Click on to the event you want to go to
3) Sign up
4) Take the Questionnaire online
5) Show up at the venue
cost:
$10 if registered online at www.onekeyaway.com by May 10, 2005
$15 cash at door.
Started at the Beaches of Southern California, OneKeyAway is a singles-events company that uses the MatchlinC Technology devices. At events, guests introduce themselves by approaching another and pressing a device that shows how compatible they are with each other. These devices are electronic personality compatibility gadgets the size of a small car alarm remote and used as both an ice-breaking tool and an electronic “match maker.”
The more I get ready to get “back on the horse” so to speak, the more I see how the landscape has changed. Modern technology bought to the world of dating, point and click your potential mate.
Singles Mixer: Weed out the Possibles from the Randoms (New York City)
To register
1) Go online to www.OneKeyAway.com
2) Click on to the event you want to go to
3) Sign up
4) Take the Questionnaire online
5) Show up at the venue
cost:
$10 if registered online at www.onekeyaway.com by May 10, 2005
$15 cash at door.
Started at the Beaches of Southern California, OneKeyAway is a singles-events company that uses the MatchlinC Technology devices. At events, guests introduce themselves by approaching another and pressing a device that shows how compatible they are with each other. These devices are electronic personality compatibility gadgets the size of a small car alarm remote and used as both an ice-breaking tool and an electronic “match maker.”
The more I get ready to get “back on the horse” so to speak, the more I see how the landscape has changed. Modern technology bought to the world of dating, point and click your potential mate.
Embrace the future...
From the wonderful people over at WhiteHouse.org not to be confused with WhiteHouse.gov
From the wonderful people over at WhiteHouse.org not to be confused with WhiteHouse.gov
Apr 17, 2005
Junior’s game of RISK
Dovetailing into an earlier post regarding Seymour Hersh’s article on US plans to attack Iran:
Hardly any country on the planet sits in a more crucial spot than the harsh dictatorship of Azerbaijan, so that's probably why Don Rumsfeld sneaked off to its rowdy capital, Baku, earlier this week.
Bushbeat is very entertaining, I recommend bookmarking it.
Dovetailing into an earlier post regarding Seymour Hersh’s article on US plans to attack Iran:
Hardly any country on the planet sits in a more crucial spot than the harsh dictatorship of Azerbaijan, so that's probably why Don Rumsfeld sneaked off to its rowdy capital, Baku, earlier this week.
Bushbeat is very entertaining, I recommend bookmarking it.
Apr 16, 2005
I’m in one of those introspective phases...
The kind where you do a little bit of a retreat, recharge batteries, figure out the next move. Everytime I find myself in one of these periods, I hear the echo of this song.
He would see faces in movies, on T.V., in magazines, and in books... He thought that some of these faces might be right for him... And through the years, by keeing an ideal facial structure fixed in his mind... Or somewhere in the back of his mind... That he might, by force of will, cause his face to approach those of his ideal... The change would be very subtle... It might take ten years or so... Gradually his face would change its’ shape... A more hooked nose... Wider, thinner lips....Beady eyes... A larger forehead.
He imagined that this was an ability he shared with most other people... They had also molded their face according to some ideal... Maybe they imagined that their new face would better suit their personality... Or maybe they imagined that their personality would be forced to change to fit the new appearance... This is why first impressions are often correct... Although some people might have made mistakes... They may have arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them... They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish whim, or momentary impulse... Some may have gotten half-way there, and then changed their minds.
He wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake.
It’s also something I find myself thinking about everytime I see a current picture of myself.
The kind where you do a little bit of a retreat, recharge batteries, figure out the next move. Everytime I find myself in one of these periods, I hear the echo of this song.
He would see faces in movies, on T.V., in magazines, and in books... He thought that some of these faces might be right for him... And through the years, by keeing an ideal facial structure fixed in his mind... Or somewhere in the back of his mind... That he might, by force of will, cause his face to approach those of his ideal... The change would be very subtle... It might take ten years or so... Gradually his face would change its’ shape... A more hooked nose... Wider, thinner lips....Beady eyes... A larger forehead.
He imagined that this was an ability he shared with most other people... They had also molded their face according to some ideal... Maybe they imagined that their new face would better suit their personality... Or maybe they imagined that their personality would be forced to change to fit the new appearance... This is why first impressions are often correct... Although some people might have made mistakes... They may have arrived at an appearance that bears no relationship to them... They may have picked an ideal appearance based on some childish whim, or momentary impulse... Some may have gotten half-way there, and then changed their minds.
He wonders if he too might have made a similar mistake.
It’s also something I find myself thinking about everytime I see a current picture of myself.
Sexual politics in the new millennium - who’s in the race?
Although grounded with some alarmingly icky details, Grantham’s and others’ essays reiterate the kind of bite-size sexual formulas that students spend pages deconstructing in their term papers. Whether or not the stereotypes are true (and Wolfe certainly believes they are), these writers circle around the same safe set of issues—the fact that they're females talking about sex is somehow still more groundbreaking than whatever it is that they're saying.
As Grantham puts it, “There’s politics in the act itself. It’s just like, Hey, look! I’m a woman. I enjoy sex. I'm talking about it. Isn't this cool?”
Just an interesting article from this week’s Village Voice on the “Attack of the female Sex Columnist.”
Although grounded with some alarmingly icky details, Grantham’s and others’ essays reiterate the kind of bite-size sexual formulas that students spend pages deconstructing in their term papers. Whether or not the stereotypes are true (and Wolfe certainly believes they are), these writers circle around the same safe set of issues—the fact that they're females talking about sex is somehow still more groundbreaking than whatever it is that they're saying.
As Grantham puts it, “There’s politics in the act itself. It’s just like, Hey, look! I’m a woman. I enjoy sex. I'm talking about it. Isn't this cool?”
Just an interesting article from this week’s Village Voice on the “Attack of the female Sex Columnist.”
Apr 15, 2005
The more things change...
The more they stay the same, new ways to pick up spyware and viruses.
Yesterday, news agency Reuters found a digital worm called Kelvir had penetrated its Reuters Messaging system, which is closely linked with AOL’s Instant Messenger and Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) MSN Messenger, according to News.com. Fears of the worm spreading to other systems forced Reuters to temporarily shut its messaging system down. The company told News.com that there's no timetable for bringing the messaging client back online.
The more they stay the same, new ways to pick up spyware and viruses.
Yesterday, news agency Reuters found a digital worm called Kelvir had penetrated its Reuters Messaging system, which is closely linked with AOL’s Instant Messenger and Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) MSN Messenger, according to News.com. Fears of the worm spreading to other systems forced Reuters to temporarily shut its messaging system down. The company told News.com that there's no timetable for bringing the messaging client back online.
I clicked a link...
...and all I got was a lousy name, courtesy of Blog Sensei
...and all I got was a lousy name, courtesy of Blog Sensei
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Sword of Patience.
Apr 14, 2005
More from the world of deviant behavior...
So, I spend way more time surfing than I should. Sometimes it’s useful but, most of the time it’s just time filler (what did I spend all that time on before we had the internet?). So, I’m wandering around cyberspace today and I came across this gem...
But what sort of sick f**k thinks, “Gee, you know what would really turn me on? A woman with a horribly distended belly who has a kid in her stomach! Yeah! That would be hot!” Hey, here’s a philosophical question for all you Pro-Lifers: Is f**king a pregnant woman technically a menage-a-trois?
xo_babytran explains “Fourteen Sexual Fantasies I Just Don’t Understand” most of which had me laughing out loud, not for those easily shocked.
Of course, I wandered around xanga and was just fascinated. Where we’re these gals when I was growing up?
So, I spend way more time surfing than I should. Sometimes it’s useful but, most of the time it’s just time filler (what did I spend all that time on before we had the internet?). So, I’m wandering around cyberspace today and I came across this gem...
But what sort of sick f**k thinks, “Gee, you know what would really turn me on? A woman with a horribly distended belly who has a kid in her stomach! Yeah! That would be hot!” Hey, here’s a philosophical question for all you Pro-Lifers: Is f**king a pregnant woman technically a menage-a-trois?
xo_babytran explains “Fourteen Sexual Fantasies I Just Don’t Understand” most of which had me laughing out loud, not for those easily shocked.
Of course, I wandered around xanga and was just fascinated. Where we’re these gals when I was growing up?
Apr 10, 2005
In the interest of equal time...
After delivering newspapers to homes in the wee hours of the morning, a man named Abum makes his way to a donut shop. There, the grumpy old-timer angers a clerk with his irascible attitude. The clerk responds by urinating in Abum’s cup of coffee. Abum makes his way to a table, where he joins three other men: Blurk, Greb and Toby. As the foursome assume the shape of monstrous devils, Abum announces that the clerk urinated in his coffee. The devils share a private chuckle that bubbles over into demonic cackling.
I’ve been making my way through the two seasons of Millennium that are out on DVD (the third is scheduled for release in June). I didn’t catch the series when it was originally broadcast but, I have to say I’ve been enjoying it a great deal. The first season was very, very dark and the second is completely different in tone but both are great. I picked them up on E-bay (cheap-o that I am). Worth checking out if they’re available through NetFlix or if you actually want to plunk down the dough for the sets.
What amazes me is how some of these shows actually were shown on broadcast TV in primetime - just hard to believe they made it onto the air as it seems the material would be more likely suited for one of the pay cable networks. Anyway, I finished watching both sets and can’t wait for June to come.
After delivering newspapers to homes in the wee hours of the morning, a man named Abum makes his way to a donut shop. There, the grumpy old-timer angers a clerk with his irascible attitude. The clerk responds by urinating in Abum’s cup of coffee. Abum makes his way to a table, where he joins three other men: Blurk, Greb and Toby. As the foursome assume the shape of monstrous devils, Abum announces that the clerk urinated in his coffee. The devils share a private chuckle that bubbles over into demonic cackling.
I’ve been making my way through the two seasons of Millennium that are out on DVD (the third is scheduled for release in June). I didn’t catch the series when it was originally broadcast but, I have to say I’ve been enjoying it a great deal. The first season was very, very dark and the second is completely different in tone but both are great. I picked them up on E-bay (cheap-o that I am). Worth checking out if they’re available through NetFlix or if you actually want to plunk down the dough for the sets.
What amazes me is how some of these shows actually were shown on broadcast TV in primetime - just hard to believe they made it onto the air as it seems the material would be more likely suited for one of the pay cable networks. Anyway, I finished watching both sets and can’t wait for June to come.
Apr 9, 2005
98%! That’s one tough bug...
An eerie silence hangs over the hospital in Uige, which doctors now believe is the main source of the Marburg virus, for which there is no known cure.
In Uige province alone, some 160 people have been killed by the virus which has claimed 98 percent of those infected in the outbreak, described by the United Nations as “the worst ever” and “not yet under control.”
I first read about Marburg virus several years back in the book, The Coming Plague which apart from it’s dramatic title makes for fascinating reading. The vector for Ebola has been tracked to a cave, if you can imagine. They’ve figured out the virus spawned from a single place but, they can’t figure out the disease vector. Humans are eaten up so fast by Ebola (hemmoragic fever) they don’t make decent carriers for the disease so, scientists conclude there is another ‘host’ organism which carries the virus and spreads it but they haven’t been able to find out what form the host takes.
An eerie silence hangs over the hospital in Uige, which doctors now believe is the main source of the Marburg virus, for which there is no known cure.
In Uige province alone, some 160 people have been killed by the virus which has claimed 98 percent of those infected in the outbreak, described by the United Nations as “the worst ever” and “not yet under control.”
I first read about Marburg virus several years back in the book, The Coming Plague which apart from it’s dramatic title makes for fascinating reading. The vector for Ebola has been tracked to a cave, if you can imagine. They’ve figured out the virus spawned from a single place but, they can’t figure out the disease vector. Humans are eaten up so fast by Ebola (hemmoragic fever) they don’t make decent carriers for the disease so, scientists conclude there is another ‘host’ organism which carries the virus and spreads it but they haven’t been able to find out what form the host takes.
Time for the delay to be put to DeLay
House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay, under fire for his use of campaign dollars and other ethical problems, addressed the conference in a videotaped message on Thursday in which he denounced a “judiciary run amok.”
I was reading this article and I wound up getting so sick to my stomach I was going to write this long diatribe but, in the end I can sum it up with one word... Schmuck!
I may not always agree with them but I am certainly thankful for the judiciary.
House of Representatives Majority Leader Tom DeLay, under fire for his use of campaign dollars and other ethical problems, addressed the conference in a videotaped message on Thursday in which he denounced a “judiciary run amok.”
I was reading this article and I wound up getting so sick to my stomach I was going to write this long diatribe but, in the end I can sum it up with one word... Schmuck!
I may not always agree with them but I am certainly thankful for the judiciary.
Look for them...
A man and his young child visited the bathroom. The father had to pick his son up so Agent Simmons could help him wash his hands. He tipped $1. Agent Simmons made it clear that tips were entirely optional and that his services were provided free of charge. He made small talk with everyone who entered the room, asking them where they were from, if they had seen a Broadway play, etc. He also peppered McDonald’s slogans in to his banter. “We’re lovin’ it today and we hope you are too.” “You deserve a break today.” “We like to see you smile, sir.”
Yes, probably MacDonald’s could do it and increase traffic but, if you see something strange going on around Manhattan, don’t think it hasn’t necessarily been orchestrated just to gauge your reaction...
Check out Improv Everywhere’s website.
Found via This American Life.
A man and his young child visited the bathroom. The father had to pick his son up so Agent Simmons could help him wash his hands. He tipped $1. Agent Simmons made it clear that tips were entirely optional and that his services were provided free of charge. He made small talk with everyone who entered the room, asking them where they were from, if they had seen a Broadway play, etc. He also peppered McDonald’s slogans in to his banter. “We’re lovin’ it today and we hope you are too.” “You deserve a break today.” “We like to see you smile, sir.”
Yes, probably MacDonald’s could do it and increase traffic but, if you see something strange going on around Manhattan, don’t think it hasn’t necessarily been orchestrated just to gauge your reaction...
Check out Improv Everywhere’s website.
Found via This American Life.
Apr 4, 2005
He’ll be missed...
Over the last few weeks, I found myself wanting to write something about the Pope.
I probably don’t strike many people as the most religious guy. It’s the rather liberal, healthy sprinkling of profanity during the course of my conversation no doubt. I imagine though, the main thing I picked up from all those years of a Catholic upbringing, besides the healthy dosage of Catholic guilt (which could give Jewish guilt a run for its money any day), is a person’s religion isn’t something to force upon others or to carry around like a banner proclaiming one’s faith to the world. Such displays seem vainglorious and inappropriate.
Anyway, over the last few weeks I’ve watched the various news reports about the Pope’s failing health and I found myself feeling really bad. In my more private moments, I prayed for an ease to the man’s suffering. We live in a strange society where life is valued but, while we have the tools to prolong life, our tools don’t necessarily allow us to improve its quality.
Now, I haven’t stepped into a church in a long time. Part of that is the fear of the divinely inspired bolt of lightening with my name on it arriving as I cross the threshold into a church. More likely, there it’s also the disagreement with some of the church’s stances. In any event, the one thing I didn’t have a problem with was the Pope.
Yeah, the Pope wasn’t about to do things most American Catholics would like him to do, like ordaining women or married men into the preisthood but, he did come across as a ‘cool guy.’ Maybe the best analogy would be an older relative who wouldn’t always agree with you but, had a solid moral center and wanted nothing but the best for you. In a lot of ways, he always tried to make the world a better place and ultimately that was enough.
The world that Pope John Paul II was ordained Pope into was a very different one than the world we live in today. Terms like MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Bloc which were so common, so consuming don’t exist anymore and his being Pope had something to do with it.
So, before I go on for too long - I looked around trying to find something which would just be nice as some acknowledgement and I came across John Paul’s letter to artists:
Society needs artists, just as it needs scientists, technicians, workers, professional people, witnesses of the faith, teachers, fathers and mothers, who ensure the growth of the person and the development of the community by means of that supreme art form which is “the art of education.” Within the vast cultural panorama of each nation, artists have their unique place. Obedient to their inspiration in creating works both worthwhile and beautiful, they not only enrich the cultural heritage of each nation and of all humanity, but they also render an exceptional social service in favour of the common good.
The particular vocation of individual artists decides the arena in which they serve and points as well to the tasks they must assume, the hard work they must endure and the responsibility they must accept. Artists who are conscious of all this know too that they must labour without allowing themselves to be driven by the search for empty glory or the craving for cheap popularity, and still less by the calculation of some possible profit for themselves. There is therefore an ethic, even a “spirituality” of artistic service, which contributes in its way to the life and renewal of a people. It is precisely this to which Cyprian Norwid seems to allude in declaring that “beauty is to enthuse us for work, and work is to raise us up.”
All in all, I think Karol Wojtyla made the world a better place and the next guy to follow his act will have some big shoes to fill. His biography can be found here.
Over the last few weeks, I found myself wanting to write something about the Pope.
I probably don’t strike many people as the most religious guy. It’s the rather liberal, healthy sprinkling of profanity during the course of my conversation no doubt. I imagine though, the main thing I picked up from all those years of a Catholic upbringing, besides the healthy dosage of Catholic guilt (which could give Jewish guilt a run for its money any day), is a person’s religion isn’t something to force upon others or to carry around like a banner proclaiming one’s faith to the world. Such displays seem vainglorious and inappropriate.
Anyway, over the last few weeks I’ve watched the various news reports about the Pope’s failing health and I found myself feeling really bad. In my more private moments, I prayed for an ease to the man’s suffering. We live in a strange society where life is valued but, while we have the tools to prolong life, our tools don’t necessarily allow us to improve its quality.
Now, I haven’t stepped into a church in a long time. Part of that is the fear of the divinely inspired bolt of lightening with my name on it arriving as I cross the threshold into a church. More likely, there it’s also the disagreement with some of the church’s stances. In any event, the one thing I didn’t have a problem with was the Pope.
Yeah, the Pope wasn’t about to do things most American Catholics would like him to do, like ordaining women or married men into the preisthood but, he did come across as a ‘cool guy.’ Maybe the best analogy would be an older relative who wouldn’t always agree with you but, had a solid moral center and wanted nothing but the best for you. In a lot of ways, he always tried to make the world a better place and ultimately that was enough.
The world that Pope John Paul II was ordained Pope into was a very different one than the world we live in today. Terms like MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction), the Iron Curtain, the Soviet Bloc which were so common, so consuming don’t exist anymore and his being Pope had something to do with it.
So, before I go on for too long - I looked around trying to find something which would just be nice as some acknowledgement and I came across John Paul’s letter to artists:
Society needs artists, just as it needs scientists, technicians, workers, professional people, witnesses of the faith, teachers, fathers and mothers, who ensure the growth of the person and the development of the community by means of that supreme art form which is “the art of education.” Within the vast cultural panorama of each nation, artists have their unique place. Obedient to their inspiration in creating works both worthwhile and beautiful, they not only enrich the cultural heritage of each nation and of all humanity, but they also render an exceptional social service in favour of the common good.
The particular vocation of individual artists decides the arena in which they serve and points as well to the tasks they must assume, the hard work they must endure and the responsibility they must accept. Artists who are conscious of all this know too that they must labour without allowing themselves to be driven by the search for empty glory or the craving for cheap popularity, and still less by the calculation of some possible profit for themselves. There is therefore an ethic, even a “spirituality” of artistic service, which contributes in its way to the life and renewal of a people. It is precisely this to which Cyprian Norwid seems to allude in declaring that “beauty is to enthuse us for work, and work is to raise us up.”
All in all, I think Karol Wojtyla made the world a better place and the next guy to follow his act will have some big shoes to fill. His biography can be found here.
Apr 2, 2005
Just when you make up your mind about something...
So, I like everyone else had been subjected to the nonstop coverage of the Terry Shiavo case and I figured, let the poor woman die already. 15 years of suffering is enough and you see old pictures of her and she looks so beautiful and so full of life in contrast to the other pictures you see of her - which are actually three years old!
Then, I get a chance to read Nat Hentoff’s column and since I respect Nat Hentoff a great deal I wonder if I wasn’t mistaken:
For all the world to see, a 41-year-old woman, who has committed no crime, will die of dehydration and starvation in the longest public execution in American history.
She is not brain-dead or comatose, and breathes naturally on her own. Although brain-damaged, she is not in a persistent vegetative state, according to an increasing number of radiologists and neurologists.
Among many other violations of her due process rights, Terri Schiavo has never been allowed by the primary judge in her case—Florida Circuit Judge George Greer, whose conclusions have been robotically upheld by all the courts above him—to have her own lawyer represent her.
Greer has declared Terri Schiavo to be in a persistent vegetative state, but he has never gone to see her. His eyesight is very poor, but surely he could have visited her along with another member of his staff. Unlike people in a persistent vegetative state, Terri Schiavo is indeed responsive beyond mere reflexes.
...but, there are two sides to every story and the Voice ran the opposing views in a facing spread:
Taking on the Schiavo case was supposed to give the Bushes an opportunity to appease the religious conservatives who put them into office. The problem for the stop-at-nothing brothers, though, is that the conservative Catholics and evangelicals fixated on Schiavo are even further out of the mainstream when it comes to the right to die than they are on abortion. While some people are truly torn about what restrictions should apply when dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, few think anyone should be forced to hover on the edges of existence if they don’t want to and have no chance of recovery. Nearly 80 percent of Americans wouldn’t want to be kept alive in Terri’s situation, according to an ABC News poll. Even more opposed federal intervention in the Schiavo case, including 72 percent of Republicans, according to a CBS News poll. Meanwhile, the president’s approval rating is falling, having just hit 43 percent, down from 49 last month.
Talk about a great political issue! A clear winner finally landed in the Democrats’ lap. Unfortunately, few seemed to recognize it. No senator, Democrat or Republican, stopped the legislation giving Schiavo’s parents the opportunity to take the case to federal court. Forty-seven Democrats supported the bill in the House. And even Howard Dean, head of the Democratic Party, seemed to roll over, offering no comment when asked about Bush’s support of the law.
So, I like everyone else had been subjected to the nonstop coverage of the Terry Shiavo case and I figured, let the poor woman die already. 15 years of suffering is enough and you see old pictures of her and she looks so beautiful and so full of life in contrast to the other pictures you see of her - which are actually three years old!
Then, I get a chance to read Nat Hentoff’s column and since I respect Nat Hentoff a great deal I wonder if I wasn’t mistaken:
For all the world to see, a 41-year-old woman, who has committed no crime, will die of dehydration and starvation in the longest public execution in American history.
She is not brain-dead or comatose, and breathes naturally on her own. Although brain-damaged, she is not in a persistent vegetative state, according to an increasing number of radiologists and neurologists.
Among many other violations of her due process rights, Terri Schiavo has never been allowed by the primary judge in her case—Florida Circuit Judge George Greer, whose conclusions have been robotically upheld by all the courts above him—to have her own lawyer represent her.
Greer has declared Terri Schiavo to be in a persistent vegetative state, but he has never gone to see her. His eyesight is very poor, but surely he could have visited her along with another member of his staff. Unlike people in a persistent vegetative state, Terri Schiavo is indeed responsive beyond mere reflexes.
...but, there are two sides to every story and the Voice ran the opposing views in a facing spread:
Taking on the Schiavo case was supposed to give the Bushes an opportunity to appease the religious conservatives who put them into office. The problem for the stop-at-nothing brothers, though, is that the conservative Catholics and evangelicals fixated on Schiavo are even further out of the mainstream when it comes to the right to die than they are on abortion. While some people are truly torn about what restrictions should apply when dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, few think anyone should be forced to hover on the edges of existence if they don’t want to and have no chance of recovery. Nearly 80 percent of Americans wouldn’t want to be kept alive in Terri’s situation, according to an ABC News poll. Even more opposed federal intervention in the Schiavo case, including 72 percent of Republicans, according to a CBS News poll. Meanwhile, the president’s approval rating is falling, having just hit 43 percent, down from 49 last month.
Talk about a great political issue! A clear winner finally landed in the Democrats’ lap. Unfortunately, few seemed to recognize it. No senator, Democrat or Republican, stopped the legislation giving Schiavo’s parents the opportunity to take the case to federal court. Forty-seven Democrats supported the bill in the House. And even Howard Dean, head of the Democratic Party, seemed to roll over, offering no comment when asked about Bush’s support of the law.
Well, I’m glad I saw it...
For all its graphic splendor, watching Sin City is like spending two hours in a state-of-the-art wax museum. Rodriguez loves his material so much that he embalmed it.
I got into an early show yesterday, thankfully since every show after the four o’clock that we went to was sold out. Visually, the movie was stunning and it does have a great cast but, I think there’s a bad case of writer-itis going on. Since Frank Miller was so intricately involved in the project, he wanted something as close to the original graphic novels as possible. Unfortunately, film is a visual medium which is unlike Miller’s normal environs. The last time I was clubbed over the head so much by a voiceover narration, it was for the DeLaurentis adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Somebody needs to tell Frankie boy, sometimes less is more. Save the narration for when it’s really needed!
For all its graphic splendor, watching Sin City is like spending two hours in a state-of-the-art wax museum. Rodriguez loves his material so much that he embalmed it.
I got into an early show yesterday, thankfully since every show after the four o’clock that we went to was sold out. Visually, the movie was stunning and it does have a great cast but, I think there’s a bad case of writer-itis going on. Since Frank Miller was so intricately involved in the project, he wanted something as close to the original graphic novels as possible. Unfortunately, film is a visual medium which is unlike Miller’s normal environs. The last time I was clubbed over the head so much by a voiceover narration, it was for the DeLaurentis adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune.
Somebody needs to tell Frankie boy, sometimes less is more. Save the narration for when it’s really needed!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)