No one (at least, no one in the mass media) seems to notice the inherent contradiction in these terror warnings, which is so blatant I have a hard time believing that anyone heeds them.
Item the first: Intelligence exists concerning a big planned domestic terrorist strike. Big.
Item the second: The people of America should go about their normal business, shopping and having fun.
Excuse me?
If Item the First is indeed true, then Item the Second is a criminally irresponsible directive. In other words, be afraid, but don't do anything about it.
It sickens me.
In other news, I've been doing research trying to determine if, as rumored, as many as three of the people whose pictures they published as suspects in this thing are already in custody. It's an intriguing notion.
Friday, May 28, 2004
Apparently, 'using the word gay as a slang synonym for stupid' is OK if you're young, rich and stupid yourself.
"You know what's so gay is, like, all these journalists are, like (saying in faux hushed reverence), 'Avril Lavigne's punk and she's a rebel and she does punk rock music,"' Lavigne, 19, said in a recent interview, using the word gay as a slang synonym for stupid.
At least she's not trading on the whole punk thing anymore.
"You know what's so gay is, like, all these journalists are, like (saying in faux hushed reverence), 'Avril Lavigne's punk and she's a rebel and she does punk rock music,"' Lavigne, 19, said in a recent interview, using the word gay as a slang synonym for stupid.
At least she's not trading on the whole punk thing anymore.
Friday, May 21, 2004
So I've been watching a fair amount of TV this week (thank you, end of semester and thank you, TiVo).
What gives with ending Angel on a cliffhanger? I felt awfully cheated. I know it probably ain't gonna happen, but I wish they'd move over to UPN and continue the series. I was actually starting to get into this, but I really wish they'd begun building up the cunning plan a little earlier than an episode or two before the end. Maybe I've watched too much Babylon 5.
I'm very torn about West Wing. Those first few post-Sorkin episodes were positive execrable -- simple-minded and very out of keeping with the subtlety and complexity the show used to possess. But they actually started to turn it around, I think. Some of the literary references and such seemed a little clumsy, but they were starting to get the general feel back. I really didn't like the new tendency of the show to move off the White House staff and show events, since it's all supposed to be about how the president and his staff react to or do things, not about the events themselves.
And then they had to take that a step further and start blowing things up? This is so ER. When in doubt, make big boom. They have the chance to recover, and I'll watch the beginning of next season. But I'm this close to giving up.
And the end-of-season cliffhanger was pretty tired.
Enterprise. Enterprise. Still slightly ham-fisted and morally uncomplex, as virtually all Trek has been. But it's gotten seriously dark lately, and they don't seem to be pulling punches the way Trek usually does. I don't think the writers really knew where the Xindi story line was going when they started it, but I like where it's going. It's quite compelling. And it beats the consequenceless meandering in which the show was mired before they started down this path.
And I've gotta say I adore the T'Pol's addiction/emotion/internal conflict subplot.
Get the damn trailer up for Amazing Race 5, dammit! Jonesing seriously here. My favorite reality show.
Still waiting for big Babylon 5 news. I check JMS's site every day, since it was strongly hinted we'd have an announcement from Warner in mid-May. Hello? Mid-May is about to pass away. Some of us have been waiting nearly six months to find out what the deal is.
I suppose that's enough for now. More Mythbusters, dammit! More more moremoremore!
What gives with ending Angel on a cliffhanger? I felt awfully cheated. I know it probably ain't gonna happen, but I wish they'd move over to UPN and continue the series. I was actually starting to get into this, but I really wish they'd begun building up the cunning plan a little earlier than an episode or two before the end. Maybe I've watched too much Babylon 5.
I'm very torn about West Wing. Those first few post-Sorkin episodes were positive execrable -- simple-minded and very out of keeping with the subtlety and complexity the show used to possess. But they actually started to turn it around, I think. Some of the literary references and such seemed a little clumsy, but they were starting to get the general feel back. I really didn't like the new tendency of the show to move off the White House staff and show events, since it's all supposed to be about how the president and his staff react to or do things, not about the events themselves.
And then they had to take that a step further and start blowing things up? This is so ER. When in doubt, make big boom. They have the chance to recover, and I'll watch the beginning of next season. But I'm this close to giving up.
And the end-of-season cliffhanger was pretty tired.
Enterprise. Enterprise. Still slightly ham-fisted and morally uncomplex, as virtually all Trek has been. But it's gotten seriously dark lately, and they don't seem to be pulling punches the way Trek usually does. I don't think the writers really knew where the Xindi story line was going when they started it, but I like where it's going. It's quite compelling. And it beats the consequenceless meandering in which the show was mired before they started down this path.
And I've gotta say I adore the T'Pol's addiction/emotion/internal conflict subplot.
Get the damn trailer up for Amazing Race 5, dammit! Jonesing seriously here. My favorite reality show.
Still waiting for big Babylon 5 news. I check JMS's site every day, since it was strongly hinted we'd have an announcement from Warner in mid-May. Hello? Mid-May is about to pass away. Some of us have been waiting nearly six months to find out what the deal is.
I suppose that's enough for now. More Mythbusters, dammit! More more moremoremore!
Monday, May 10, 2004
"One of the most bloodiest tyrants the world has ever seen"?
Setting aside the whole grammar thing, ...
Pol Pot, anyone? Stalin? Papa Doc, Baby Doc, Marcos, Pinochet, Hitler, Mao? And while we're at it, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan ...
When you look at it, he was pretty mediocre ... even compared to many present regimes.
Setting aside the whole grammar thing, ...
Pol Pot, anyone? Stalin? Papa Doc, Baby Doc, Marcos, Pinochet, Hitler, Mao? And while we're at it, Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan ...
When you look at it, he was pretty mediocre ... even compared to many present regimes.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
A bit pissed off, on my friend's behalf. I'll omit the details, but a quick read-through and some deductive reasoning ought to tell you pretty much all you need to know.
Oh, and, from another day of the same tour diary:
”I am flying in to Toronto because my promoters are also greedy bastards and it is cheaper to have me flogging my show on TV chat shows and pimping my ass to the newspapers than buying expensive ads… In my experience there is nothing you can't do for Promoters. They only reluctantly allow me to spend a couple of hours on stage away from the relentless interviews.”
Someone did his homework. Someone else is a self-important, humorless prick.
Gads, I'm angry these days.
Oh, and, from another day of the same tour diary:
”I am flying in to Toronto because my promoters are also greedy bastards and it is cheaper to have me flogging my show on TV chat shows and pimping my ass to the newspapers than buying expensive ads… In my experience there is nothing you can't do for Promoters. They only reluctantly allow me to spend a couple of hours on stage away from the relentless interviews.”
Someone did his homework. Someone else is a self-important, humorless prick.
Gads, I'm angry these days.
Looking back over my last several entries, I realized that my lj/blog has turned into 'Politics, 24/7,' so it's time to do some updating of a different sort -- my life.
*Music*
Richard and I have been practicing at least once a week for the last couple of months. To our repertoire we've added one completely new song (mostly written by me, but with significant input from Richard) that's taken about four rehearsals to write, refine and rewrite (and is about to get an almost-complete lyric rewrite), about half a dozen Richard songs, a couple of traditional songs, one or two of mine (totally reworked one of my favorite overlooked originals, 'Smile') ...
And we're sounding good. Richard's a MUCH better guitar player these days and we're both a lot more adventurous in that arena and in our arrangements. Last night, we were joined by a mandolin player of Richard's acquaintance and it sounded great, so that may continue as well.
For the time being, too, we've pulled an Icehouse and named ourselves Haiku Rd., after our first album, and dropped the Hadrian's Wall thing for the time being. If we come up with something better, it'll take over.
I think we're ready. Richard doesn't. We're working on this.
*Employment*
I'm essentially not a secretary anymore, praise Allah. What I am exactly is still under review, but because my responsibilities are broadening exponentially and my technical knowledge is actually being tapped, I'm hoping reasonably for at least a modest raise and eventually an office and a secretary. These things are actually in the works, but will take some months.
I am hopeful. And I do think-work now instead of clerical.
*Vacation*
Spent several days on the East Coast back the weekend before last - a couple of days in Washington, D.C., and a couple more in West Virginia, with a stop in the middle at Fallingwater. I shan't bore y'all with a travelogue, since my friend Kniwtie does it so much better than me. But suffice it to say I had a kick-ass time and was completely and improbably charmed by Mannington, West Virginia.
*Other Stuff*
There's lots. But I'm tired of typing, so it'll have to wait.
*Music*
Richard and I have been practicing at least once a week for the last couple of months. To our repertoire we've added one completely new song (mostly written by me, but with significant input from Richard) that's taken about four rehearsals to write, refine and rewrite (and is about to get an almost-complete lyric rewrite), about half a dozen Richard songs, a couple of traditional songs, one or two of mine (totally reworked one of my favorite overlooked originals, 'Smile') ...
And we're sounding good. Richard's a MUCH better guitar player these days and we're both a lot more adventurous in that arena and in our arrangements. Last night, we were joined by a mandolin player of Richard's acquaintance and it sounded great, so that may continue as well.
For the time being, too, we've pulled an Icehouse and named ourselves Haiku Rd., after our first album, and dropped the Hadrian's Wall thing for the time being. If we come up with something better, it'll take over.
I think we're ready. Richard doesn't. We're working on this.
*Employment*
I'm essentially not a secretary anymore, praise Allah. What I am exactly is still under review, but because my responsibilities are broadening exponentially and my technical knowledge is actually being tapped, I'm hoping reasonably for at least a modest raise and eventually an office and a secretary. These things are actually in the works, but will take some months.
I am hopeful. And I do think-work now instead of clerical.
*Vacation*
Spent several days on the East Coast back the weekend before last - a couple of days in Washington, D.C., and a couple more in West Virginia, with a stop in the middle at Fallingwater. I shan't bore y'all with a travelogue, since my friend Kniwtie does it so much better than me. But suffice it to say I had a kick-ass time and was completely and improbably charmed by Mannington, West Virginia.
*Other Stuff*
There's lots. But I'm tired of typing, so it'll have to wait.
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Clearly Powell can't say anything himself. But ...
He said that he and Powell are in frequent contact and that Powell authorized him to cooperate with the magazine. Powell was once a student of Ullman's at the National War College.
He said that he and Powell are in frequent contact and that Powell authorized him to cooperate with the magazine. Powell was once a student of Ullman's at the National War College.
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