Radio Pastor Donald Cole died on August 4th and Moody Radio has been gushing praise out of every orifice for him this week. Nauseatingly gushing it like a Religious Ebola outbreak.
He was of course a complete and utter fraud. As all people are who push their Imaginary Friends on the rest of us.
Just before his retirement from Moody Radio, on a phone-in show where he answered questions about the Bible, I once heard him COMPLETELY FLUMMOXED by a question from a seven year old girl.
The call went something like this :-
Girl: Hello Pastor Cole My name is Daisy. I have a question about Heaven.
Pastor Cole: How old are you?
Girl; Seven
Pastor Cole: Oh my! Seven? You know I was seven once? A long time ago....
(He always got gushingly folksy, especially with little girls)
Girl: Is it true everyone will be happy in Heaven?
Pastor Cole: Oh yes. Everyone is happy there. There is no sadness.
Girl: So I will be happy there too?
Pastor Cole: Most certainly Daisy. You will be happy there forever.
Girl: So if I'm in Heaven, what happens if I look around and all my friends aren't there? Won't that make me sad?
Pastor Cole: Harrumph, harrumph, harrumph. Er..well... Actually....
After he floundered around for what seemed like forever, his answer was the following. I am not making this up.
Pastor Cole: Well Daisy, you won't be unhappy because YOU WILL NOT REMEMBER ANYONE WHO IS NOT THERE. God doesn't want you to be unhappy, so you will not remember anyone who God has not allowed in Heaven because of their sins.
Now where is that doozie in YOUR Bible? It certainly ain't in mine.
I can only hope Daisy wasn't taken in by such a silly and obvious lie.
Thursday, August 09, 2012
Saturday, August 04, 2012
The Manhattan Declaration - Still An Utter Failure
So it has been more than three months since Chuck "The Felon" Colson popped his clogs so I think it is time to again look at the Manhattan Declaration - Chuck's "enduring legacy" in the very tiny minds of people who do not understand what the word "enduring" means.
OK. The calculation will be as before. I'm assuming the US has a population of 320 million and only adults might be signing this "Christian Manifesto" - which I take to be 50% of the population.
OK. Today on August 4th 2012, a total of 531,508 people have signed the Manhattan Declaration.
Based on 160 million potential signatories, that number represents a mere 0.332% of the people in these United States.
By ANY discernible criteria we might use, this tells us that The Manhattan Declaration has been and continues to be, an Utter and Abject Failure.
OK. The calculation will be as before. I'm assuming the US has a population of 320 million and only adults might be signing this "Christian Manifesto" - which I take to be 50% of the population.
OK. Today on August 4th 2012, a total of 531,508 people have signed the Manhattan Declaration.
Based on 160 million potential signatories, that number represents a mere 0.332% of the people in these United States.
By ANY discernible criteria we might use, this tells us that The Manhattan Declaration has been and continues to be, an Utter and Abject Failure.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Focus On The Family Radio Theater
Just listened to episode five of "The Hiding Place" on Focus On The Family Radio Theater featuring the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her resistance to the Nazis in WW2. Please insert your ironic exclamations here.
Now the production values were very good, surprisingly so from an outfit that brings you the truly execrable "Adventures in Odyssey" series, but at the end I think they let the cat out of the proverbial programming bag.
Over the credits they said, "Starring Wendy Craig and Alec McCowen". Now these are two great actors from the UK and I got to wondering, "Is this really a production from Focus on the Family, or are they rebranding BBC dramas through some sort of deal with Auntie Beeb?'
Because if they are, I'm sure a lot of the Luvvies of the British Theater would be up in arms if they realized their work was being sold to and repackaged by such an intolerant and bigoted right wing organization as Focus On The Family.
I wonder how I confirm that the productions on the radio here in the US are really from the BBC?
And if they are, how can we get them stopped?
And let's not start on the sheer irony of a right wing organization like Focus airing a piece like this. I've got to wonder would they have carried the drama if Corrie Ten Boom had been rescuing gays and gypsies from the Nazis?
And the answer to my own question is: Of course they would not.
Now the production values were very good, surprisingly so from an outfit that brings you the truly execrable "Adventures in Odyssey" series, but at the end I think they let the cat out of the proverbial programming bag.
Over the credits they said, "Starring Wendy Craig and Alec McCowen". Now these are two great actors from the UK and I got to wondering, "Is this really a production from Focus on the Family, or are they rebranding BBC dramas through some sort of deal with Auntie Beeb?'
Because if they are, I'm sure a lot of the Luvvies of the British Theater would be up in arms if they realized their work was being sold to and repackaged by such an intolerant and bigoted right wing organization as Focus On The Family.
I wonder how I confirm that the productions on the radio here in the US are really from the BBC?
And if they are, how can we get them stopped?
And let's not start on the sheer irony of a right wing organization like Focus airing a piece like this. I've got to wonder would they have carried the drama if Corrie Ten Boom had been rescuing gays and gypsies from the Nazis?
And the answer to my own question is: Of course they would not.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
So let's get this straight
This is GOP "logic" ( and I use the term in its most ironic sense ), "We have to get rid of Obamacare by getting rid of President Obama.".
This statement comes from a party whose nominee for the Presidency introduced almost an identical system in his state when he was Governor. In fact his plan also has a penalty for not purchasing health insurance. But now he is against Obamacare and he hates the individual mandate? His own policy? His own law?
How can he say these things with a straight face?
And "We must repeal Obamacare and replace it with sensible healthcare reform". Who in their right mind thinks that is going to happen? If the GOP wanted healthcare reform they would have proposed legistlation a long time ago. But of course they don't ( and will not now ) because they are only interetsed in preserving the status quo. Just look how many GOP types can't even agree with the President when he says that a family should not be one illness away for bankruptcy.
These guys wouldn't agree with him if the President said "Ice is cold and fire is hot."
And you want to replace a man who is at least doing something with a suit who will do absolutely nothing about healtcare reform? Really that's your answer? Scrap everything and then have a commission to investigate healthcare reform and then after two or three years eventually do nothing?
Can anyone say "Simpson-Bowles all over again. And again. And again to the end of time"?
Mark my words that will be the "Romney Healthcare Initiative".
And talking about getting things done.....
If the GOP was serious about jobs being the number one issue to address, they wouldn't be having fucking meaningless contempt of Congress hearings for the Attorney General and then wasting legistlative time with pointless votes to repeal healthcare reform simply to pander to the loons in the Tea Party.
Pandering gets you re-elected, but it never saves a country from ruin. Sometimes you have to do the unpopular thing. These guys should ask the President why it is always better to do the right thing than to bend to the whims of a vocal minority within your party's base.
Saving the country should always take precedence over saving your own job in Washington.
But the GOP don't want to get anything done. What they want to do from now until November is stick it to the President and to hell with jobs, healthcare, education or the environment. Or really to hell with anything right now.
This is going to be five months of shitting on the country for political gain.
What a joke.
And if Romney picks Eric Cantor for VP it will only get 1000% more ugly and partisan than it is now.
This statement comes from a party whose nominee for the Presidency introduced almost an identical system in his state when he was Governor. In fact his plan also has a penalty for not purchasing health insurance. But now he is against Obamacare and he hates the individual mandate? His own policy? His own law?
How can he say these things with a straight face?
And "We must repeal Obamacare and replace it with sensible healthcare reform". Who in their right mind thinks that is going to happen? If the GOP wanted healthcare reform they would have proposed legistlation a long time ago. But of course they don't ( and will not now ) because they are only interetsed in preserving the status quo. Just look how many GOP types can't even agree with the President when he says that a family should not be one illness away for bankruptcy.
These guys wouldn't agree with him if the President said "Ice is cold and fire is hot."
And you want to replace a man who is at least doing something with a suit who will do absolutely nothing about healtcare reform? Really that's your answer? Scrap everything and then have a commission to investigate healthcare reform and then after two or three years eventually do nothing?
Can anyone say "Simpson-Bowles all over again. And again. And again to the end of time"?
Mark my words that will be the "Romney Healthcare Initiative".
And talking about getting things done.....
If the GOP was serious about jobs being the number one issue to address, they wouldn't be having fucking meaningless contempt of Congress hearings for the Attorney General and then wasting legistlative time with pointless votes to repeal healthcare reform simply to pander to the loons in the Tea Party.
Pandering gets you re-elected, but it never saves a country from ruin. Sometimes you have to do the unpopular thing. These guys should ask the President why it is always better to do the right thing than to bend to the whims of a vocal minority within your party's base.
Saving the country should always take precedence over saving your own job in Washington.
But the GOP don't want to get anything done. What they want to do from now until November is stick it to the President and to hell with jobs, healthcare, education or the environment. Or really to hell with anything right now.
This is going to be five months of shitting on the country for political gain.
What a joke.
And if Romney picks Eric Cantor for VP it will only get 1000% more ugly and partisan than it is now.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
The Time Has Come
I really think the time has come to lay some leather on the loons at CitizenLink, Focus on the Family's propaganda wing. I've been listening to their daily "Family News in Focus" broadcast for a while now and you may recall a previous piece when I analyzed how much of the aired comments in their "stories" were either from their own mouthpieces or Focus on The Family's or just from people on their side of the argument. That number came out as a whopping 97%. Almost a ready made statistical definition of propaganda. My piece certainly showed that what Citizenlink ( via Family News in Focus ) was not providing was anything that could objectively be called news reporting.
Anyways, after writing that blog, I started to watch their weekly ( and sometimes twice weekly ) CitizenLink Report video segment. This has introduced me to a whole new set of liars and prevaricators who show up pretty darned regularly there. So I thought I'd do a piece of the unsavory cast of characters who appear most often on those broadcasts.
I'm doing this as a service to rational thinking human beings so that as Leonato says in "Much Ado About Nothing" if you see such a one, you may avoid him. ( or in some cases, her ).
There is also another occasional video piece CitizenLink puts out called "Stoplight" where they attempt to be humorous with some topic dear to their little hard hearts - more of that later. But suffice it to say their attempts at humor are about as funny as cancer.
So let's start by looking at who's who.
First, there is the principal mouthpiece of the whole rotten organization and that would be "The Weatherman" aka Stuart Shepard. Here is is looking as wild eyed and unbalanced as he does every week.
Poor Ashley, she talks like a Valley Girl and comes across as having the mental acuity of a clay pigeon. Ashley is CitizenLink's "Federal Issues Analyst". Again, as with all CitizenLink's spokesmen, there is no analysis, just talking points. No reasoned argument, no intellectual rigor, and with that godawful singsong voice of the truly dim. As an illuminator of issues, this woman's filament broke a long time ago. Truly she's one of CitizenLink's worst on air perfomers.
And next in the list of hucksters and agenda pushers we have "The Blob". This is the CitizenLink "Education Analyst" Candi Cushman. Candi's photo on the "About Us" section of the CitizenLink website looks so unlike what poor Candi as ballooned up to become. Here is what she looks like now.
Anyways, after writing that blog, I started to watch their weekly ( and sometimes twice weekly ) CitizenLink Report video segment. This has introduced me to a whole new set of liars and prevaricators who show up pretty darned regularly there. So I thought I'd do a piece of the unsavory cast of characters who appear most often on those broadcasts.
I'm doing this as a service to rational thinking human beings so that as Leonato says in "Much Ado About Nothing" if you see such a one, you may avoid him. ( or in some cases, her ).
There is also another occasional video piece CitizenLink puts out called "Stoplight" where they attempt to be humorous with some topic dear to their little hard hearts - more of that later. But suffice it to say their attempts at humor are about as funny as cancer.
So let's start by looking at who's who.
First, there is the principal mouthpiece of the whole rotten organization and that would be "The Weatherman" aka Stuart Shepard. Here is is looking as wild eyed and unbalanced as he does every week.
"The Weatherman"
Stuart is described at CitizenLink as their "Senior Director of Media", whatever THAT means. He's a good talking head. But not because he brings insight, clarity or balance to anything he does, but simply because before joining Focus on the Family in 1999, Stewie was the chief meteorologist at WLEX-TV in Lexington Kentucky. So what he brings to the table is some media savvy and presentation skills. What he has no idea about is what he pontificates on every week as he snipes at Democrats or snidely calls the President a liar. And this is most assuredly his weekly MO - sly and cruel.
And then we have "The Harpy", This is Carrie Gordon Earll.
"The Harpy"
Carrie's job at CitizenLink is as "Senior Director of Issue Analysis for Government and Public Policy". Which is just Focus on the Familyspeak for screeching "Republican Shill". There is No GOP talking point she won't push, no anti-abortion position she won't condemn as too extreme. She is simply horrible as an analyst and has no business being associated with any organization that remotely claims to be providing news and information to ill informed people. He middle name may actually be "Agenda" not "Gordon". And why the fuck is it "Gordon" by the way? Doesn't that strike anyone as odd for a girl's name?
Now lest I forget, we have to talk about the Weatherman's right hand man, his go to dude with the 'tude and no clue - this is someone I choose to call "The Old Fool" and he would would be little Tommy Minnery former cub reporter extraordinaire and 100% "pro-family" dumbass.
"The Old Fool"
Without a doubt, my favorite CitizenLink pieces are those produced in the weeks where not much anti-family legislation has come down from the President, because then the Old Fool will do a piece on "Where I went for my Summer Hols" and tell us all about what he doesn't know about Europe and America's relationship to it in the 21st Century. Tom's a 1945 kind of guy. A VE Day and Liberation of Europe from Socialist tyranny kind of guy. He knows about how the French felt towards Americans then, but alas, he has not a freaking clue about how they feel now. These pieces are priceless, with Tom drivelling on about "Freedom" and "Values" and all those nonsensical codewords that other leaders of the rightwing loon movement use to culminate with "Taking Back Our Nation". To when? Probably around 1950 when blacks had no vote - some time around then.
Tom's position at CitizenLink is "Senior Vice President for Government and Public Policy". He desparately needs to retire and let someone do the job who is not living in the past.
Then we have "The Bimbo". This would be the blonde intellectual powerhouse who goes by the name of Ashley Horne.
"The Bimbo"
And next in the list of hucksters and agenda pushers we have "The Blob". This is the CitizenLink "Education Analyst" Candi Cushman. Candi's photo on the "About Us" section of the CitizenLink website looks so unlike what poor Candi as ballooned up to become. Here is what she looks like now.
"The Blob"
Candi looks like she's actually eaten some of the other correspondents at CitizenLink. I think it can be no coincidence that we no longer hear from Neema Reza and Kim Trobee while Candi continues to grow like some monstrous apparition from Moby Dick. Anyways, Candi likes to push "The Day of Dialogue" program at students in our schools. Something that is clearly not legal as such activities have to be student initiated. But CitizenLink and its analysts are clearly the driving force for this event. CitizenLink trots out the Blob whenever there is the hint of a free donut. No! That's wrong. I meant, "whenever there's an education initiative that might actually help some kids". That's what I meant to say. When that happens, Candi is always there to shout it down. So of course, she's also the anti-hate crimes gal at CitizenLink - the person who believes gays deserve no "special protections" in law. And by "special protections" I mean of course, "any protection".
Then we have perhaps the most dangerous of the CitizenLink experts and that is "The Schnoz" aka the Judicial Analyst, Bruce Hausknecht.
"The Schnoz"
The reason I call Bruce the most dangerous is because he is the most seemingly rational human being amongst the cadre of CitizenLink talking heads. But that is really why you have to watch out for him the most. He's a shill for the Roberts' court for sure and his pieces on Supreme Court cases seemed measured and deliberative, but they aren't really. As with all of these talking heads, whether they are as crass as the Weatherman, as ditzy as the Bimbo or as calm as the Schnoz, they are pushing an agenda, attempting to bend public will to their insidious positions by NOT TELLING THE WHOLE TRUTH on ANY issue they opine on. Bruce is no different. He just sounds like he almost might not be doing that. But in the end, he smarmingly is. So this is what makes him the one to fear.
And now my favorite, "The ex-gay" aka poor little Jeff "My Wife and Three Beautiful Children" Johnston.
"The ex-gay"
I sometimes feel so sorry for poor Jeff. CitizenLink drags him out to talk "Prop 8" nonsense or have him testify before the Colorado legislature when any Civil Union or Same Sex Marriage proposal is being raised. Jeff himself can never wait to tell you he's a straight arrow now dammit! Whenever he speaks it's two sentences in and he's talking about his "coming out of the homosexual lifestyle" and his "lovely wife and even more wonderful children". And then you actually listen to him speak and you just say to yourself..."Really? You're out of it?"
And you just know as sure a God made little green apples, that when Jeff's area of expertise is not in demand that the Old Fool and the Weatherman push Jeff so bar back into a Focus on the Family closet that he has to give his address as "Under The Lamp Post, Narnia".
So these are the chief actors you might see if you tune into the CitizenLink Report every week as I do. There are a couple of other guys who appear a lot more rarely so they have not blipped sufficiently on my CL-BS radar to merit an expanded piece on them here. I'm talking specifically about Chad Hills the "Gambling Analyst and Abstinence Education Analyst" and Dawn McBane the CitizenLink "Bioethics Analyst".
Not sure how the two beats assigned to Chad actually connect. I guess if you get into too much debt while gambling, it might distract you from having sex? I'm really clutching at straws with that one.
So for me, the people I list above are the principal culprits you might hear ( and see ) on the CitizenLink Report video pieces. Every week you will usually see the Weatherman and and at least one of the other miscreants analyzing away, shilling for the GOP and presenting the worst form of biased argumentation you will hear anywhere on these Interwebs.
Beware them all.
And one last thing - The video pieces called "Stoplight" that I mentioned earlier.
If the CitizenLink Report is inaccurate, misleading and downright weaselly, Stoplight is simply inane babble that once again will prove every time you see one of the pieces, that right wingers have the humor gene removed at birth along with the one for caring about your fellow human beings.
For Stoplight, the Weatherman usually uses either the Bimbo or the Schnoz to make what he thinks are humorous and telling points on some item in the news ( They aren't typically either ). Then to show you it was meant to be so yuck-yuck funny and what a jolly jape it all was, they show the piece's outtakes which the Weatherman thinks are just side-splittingly hilarious but which in reality are as laughter-inducing as pus on an infected lip.
The Weatherman also often resorts to using a prop in the Stoplight pieces. It looks like a Webster's Dictionary, but wait, it's the "Wide Eyed Mainstram Media Dictionary" which he will consult to show the evil powers of Real Reporters and their dastardly usupation of language to the Liberal Agenda. "Aw shucks Pa! He called a spade a shovel. And that just ain't right".
Fuck me, it wasn't funny the first time the Weatherman pulled it out of his ass to make some point that was profoundly stupid, and it has been equally unfunny on the many subsequent times he has forced it into a Stoplight piece.
The Weatherman just doesn't know how to quit when he's behind the humor 8-ball.
So there you have it, the motley cast of characters from the asinine CitizenLink Report broadcasts and the even more stupid Stoplight videos.
Enjoy them both at your intellect's peril.
Friday, February 03, 2012
2012 - Films to avoid. List # 1
Following on from 2011, possibly the worst ever year for original ideas in
movies, I offer this list of films to AVOID in 2012 courtesy of Empire
magazine.
Remember the criteria are simple :-
1. No sequels
2. No comic books
3. No TV show adaptations of shows from my childhood
4. No Jason Bourne
5. No Mel Gibson
6. No remakes
Plus, we have to start being careful - the studios are dropping the dreaded
number in movie titles, but they still are giving us a sequels.
Sucks! Ya! Boo! to THAT.
So here's my first 2012 list from the Turkey Farm :-
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Avengers
Wrath Of The Titans
Streetdance 2
American Pie: Reunion
Battleship
MIB III
G.I. Joe 2
Ice Age: Continental Drift
The Bourne Legacy
Total Recall
The Sweeney
The Expendables 2
Taken 2 ( Oh fuck no! )
Saturday, January 21, 2012
2012 - The Year The News Media Deserved A Shellacking
Hang on to your hats people, this is going to get rough.
2012, a presidential election year, surely this is a time when the "news media" can come into their own, earn their collective crusts and actually perform some nominal service to the public, to aid them if you will, through the traps and unseen undercurrents of the American Political System right?
Well, actually no, not at all.
2012 is destined to go into the history books as the year corporate controlled news media failed American Democracy.
Where do we begin? Of course with the Citizens United case and the creation of the whole Super PAC phenomenon. Where were the media when explaining this to the American people was possibly the most important thing they could have been doing? They were AWOL - probably because their corporate overlords saw the Citizens United case as just fine and dandy. And it was just that for the News Corps and GEs of the world, but the American Political Process has been royally fucked up by it.
All the news media ( left, right, undecided ) singularly failed in their mandate to inform the people about the consequences of this truly egregious case. It probably wasn't until the Iowa campaign, when Romney's Super PAC effectively carpet bombed Gingrich out of that race, that they came late to the table and tried to remedy their huge mistake. Too little. Too freaking late. Why didn't they get on Super PACs earlier? Corporate interference not to? Could have been, but I choose to think it was a combination of sheer laziness and a perceived notion that the story was not interesting enough, or it would be too boring, or too obscure or too damn unsexy to snag the interest of people. You know, the "people"? Those human beings who tune in to "news outlets" to heaven forbid, learn something about what's going on so they can make informed choices? THOSE people. Oh yes, they'd certainly go straight to the remote on hearing a story about the usurpation of their country's political system. Wouldn't they?
So it was left to Jon Stewert and Stephen Colbert to guide those who wanted to know through the labyrinthine ways of Super PACs, their function, their controls and the ludicrous notion of "not coordinating" with a particular campaign. Riiiight. I cannot believe that the nine bozos on the Supreme Court couldn't have taken a few minutes to sit down before rendering the Citizens United verdict just to say, like in a game of chess, "If we rule in favor of 'X', what will be the immediate consequences to say 'Y'? " Where 'Y' just happens to be the integrity of the entire US electoral process. Couldn't they have foreseen that ultimate "coordination that was non-coordination" fiasco last week when Gingrich addressed the crowd and said "I'm talking to you ( the audience ) because I can't coordinate with the Super PAC, but the Super PAC should correct errors and remove ads if they have false allegations in them"? Couldn't they have foreseen that a "smart guy" like Gingrich would make a mockery of the Super PAC rules almost before the ink was dry on them? I heard Chief Justice Roberts was a clever man when he was nominated to the Supreme Court. He seemed to be so in his confirmation hearings. But on the evidence of the Citizens United ruling, I think we have been hugely misled on the cleverness issue in his case.
What else? Oh yes, laziness, still reporting the horse race, not reporting the subtlety of changes to delegate allocation, too damn eager to say "After such-and-such a race, it looks like it is going to be all wrapped up for Mr Front Runner".
All the news media were so quick to say "Romney's won two" and "First time since 19xx" and "If he makes a clean sweep in South Carolina, it's most likely all over".
In their lazy and simplistic coverage of the first GOP nominating contests, they ( the news media ) falsely colored people's perceptions of how the race was going when they said that Mr Romney had won the first two contests. This was especially stupid given the 8 vote margin initially given to Mr Romney AND given that the officially announced winner had not been certified by the Iowa Republican Party. So eager were the media to be first, to pick the winner, give him a garland and move on, that they allowed their perceptions, their prejudices to put Mr Romney in that top spot even though THE VERY NEXT DAY one caucus worker said Romney had been give 22 votes in a caucus count when in fact he should have received only 2. But on the night of the vote, a declared margin of victory of only eight should have presented more than enough uncertainty from a process may I remind you that involves COUNTING, for the media to say "Too close to call". But oh no, they wanted that result, they needed that result to validate their election coverage and their process and their glitzy swishy moving walls o'data.
"Mitt's the winner. Nothing else to see here people. On the bus to New Hampshire we go! Single Malts all round! Job well done boys and girls. Here's your bonus, Now let's make sure to wow them in New Hampshire just the same and we can all take a break in Florida, because after that one, we will most certainly be done. And we will have earned our time in the sun. Oh yes indeed we will have".
Also, this desire to be first, announce the winner, move on and so be able to declare someone has "sewn it all up" also leads to a profound and exceptionally unhelpful phenomenon - namely the received wisdom of "the media have decided its over, so it's over".
What should have happened in any of these contests, is that the media should not have concentrated on the winner nor even his margin of victory. This they should have strived to avoid in every minute of every hour of their coverage. What they should first and foremost have said was "Mr 'X' has won and will receive 'Y' delegates for the GOP Convention in Tampa which will happen a long long way down the road in this process of choosing the GOP presidential nominee. Mr 'X' now has a total of 25 delegates, he needs 1214 delegates to secure the GOP nomination".
The emphasis at any time in this process has to be on how many delegates the candidates have and how many they need, not reporting the horse race results after each caucus or primary and then having the talking heads come on and say "This is almost over" and "One more result like tonight and Mr 'X' has the nomination virtually sewn up". What? After TWO contests? And one of those a caucus where but a few thousand people get involved? Really? All over so soon? No. Of course it isn't. The media want you to think it is by telling you they want it to be so.
Heck even the less than unbiased information source called Conservapedia says of the 2012 GOP nominating process that "It is virtually impossible for a candidate to win a majority of delegates before June 2012". ( direct quote )
Why did the news media not report the contests this way? It almost seems they are conspiring with the big money donors, the GOP and the people on the inside to tell us, the saps in this entire process, that "It's all over now. Nothing to see after Florida". Which is of course palpably untrue and does a tremendous disservice to the political process in this country.
And it simply adds insult to the proverbial knee-in-the-groin injury, when you come to find out that this year, the delegates in contests before April 2012 will be allocated proportionately to their vote totals in any particular caucus or primary. This fact alone makes it even more important then ever for the news media to restrain from picking and anointing "The Big Winner" and to just report the three simple facts of, how many votes did each candidate get, how many delegates does that number translate into and how many delegates short of 1214 is each person who is still running.
I am truly appalled by all news organizations' efforts in covering the GOP nominating process to date.
And the sad thing is I don't see them getting any better as we move on to the Florida primary. They clearly will not accept any culpability in their distortion of a process designed not to be over until June at the earliest.
Phew! Rant over.
And I didn't even get to what piss poor candidates they are. How can Newt Gingrich, an insider if ever such a beast existed, get the GOP nomination for President when Congress ( his domain ) has an approval rating of 8%? Which. as was pointed out last week on the TV, is a lower number than the approval rate for Socialism.
And Romney, a man who has changed every thought he ever had in his head?
And Santorum, a theocratic loon with a strange and unhealthy obsession with same-sex relationships?
WTF America? WTF.
2012, a presidential election year, surely this is a time when the "news media" can come into their own, earn their collective crusts and actually perform some nominal service to the public, to aid them if you will, through the traps and unseen undercurrents of the American Political System right?
Well, actually no, not at all.
2012 is destined to go into the history books as the year corporate controlled news media failed American Democracy.
Where do we begin? Of course with the Citizens United case and the creation of the whole Super PAC phenomenon. Where were the media when explaining this to the American people was possibly the most important thing they could have been doing? They were AWOL - probably because their corporate overlords saw the Citizens United case as just fine and dandy. And it was just that for the News Corps and GEs of the world, but the American Political Process has been royally fucked up by it.
All the news media ( left, right, undecided ) singularly failed in their mandate to inform the people about the consequences of this truly egregious case. It probably wasn't until the Iowa campaign, when Romney's Super PAC effectively carpet bombed Gingrich out of that race, that they came late to the table and tried to remedy their huge mistake. Too little. Too freaking late. Why didn't they get on Super PACs earlier? Corporate interference not to? Could have been, but I choose to think it was a combination of sheer laziness and a perceived notion that the story was not interesting enough, or it would be too boring, or too obscure or too damn unsexy to snag the interest of people. You know, the "people"? Those human beings who tune in to "news outlets" to heaven forbid, learn something about what's going on so they can make informed choices? THOSE people. Oh yes, they'd certainly go straight to the remote on hearing a story about the usurpation of their country's political system. Wouldn't they?
So it was left to Jon Stewert and Stephen Colbert to guide those who wanted to know through the labyrinthine ways of Super PACs, their function, their controls and the ludicrous notion of "not coordinating" with a particular campaign. Riiiight. I cannot believe that the nine bozos on the Supreme Court couldn't have taken a few minutes to sit down before rendering the Citizens United verdict just to say, like in a game of chess, "If we rule in favor of 'X', what will be the immediate consequences to say 'Y'? " Where 'Y' just happens to be the integrity of the entire US electoral process. Couldn't they have foreseen that ultimate "coordination that was non-coordination" fiasco last week when Gingrich addressed the crowd and said "I'm talking to you ( the audience ) because I can't coordinate with the Super PAC, but the Super PAC should correct errors and remove ads if they have false allegations in them"? Couldn't they have foreseen that a "smart guy" like Gingrich would make a mockery of the Super PAC rules almost before the ink was dry on them? I heard Chief Justice Roberts was a clever man when he was nominated to the Supreme Court. He seemed to be so in his confirmation hearings. But on the evidence of the Citizens United ruling, I think we have been hugely misled on the cleverness issue in his case.
What else? Oh yes, laziness, still reporting the horse race, not reporting the subtlety of changes to delegate allocation, too damn eager to say "After such-and-such a race, it looks like it is going to be all wrapped up for Mr Front Runner".
All the news media were so quick to say "Romney's won two" and "First time since 19xx" and "If he makes a clean sweep in South Carolina, it's most likely all over".
In their lazy and simplistic coverage of the first GOP nominating contests, they ( the news media ) falsely colored people's perceptions of how the race was going when they said that Mr Romney had won the first two contests. This was especially stupid given the 8 vote margin initially given to Mr Romney AND given that the officially announced winner had not been certified by the Iowa Republican Party. So eager were the media to be first, to pick the winner, give him a garland and move on, that they allowed their perceptions, their prejudices to put Mr Romney in that top spot even though THE VERY NEXT DAY one caucus worker said Romney had been give 22 votes in a caucus count when in fact he should have received only 2. But on the night of the vote, a declared margin of victory of only eight should have presented more than enough uncertainty from a process may I remind you that involves COUNTING, for the media to say "Too close to call". But oh no, they wanted that result, they needed that result to validate their election coverage and their process and their glitzy swishy moving walls o'data.
"Mitt's the winner. Nothing else to see here people. On the bus to New Hampshire we go! Single Malts all round! Job well done boys and girls. Here's your bonus, Now let's make sure to wow them in New Hampshire just the same and we can all take a break in Florida, because after that one, we will most certainly be done. And we will have earned our time in the sun. Oh yes indeed we will have".
Also, this desire to be first, announce the winner, move on and so be able to declare someone has "sewn it all up" also leads to a profound and exceptionally unhelpful phenomenon - namely the received wisdom of "the media have decided its over, so it's over".
What should have happened in any of these contests, is that the media should not have concentrated on the winner nor even his margin of victory. This they should have strived to avoid in every minute of every hour of their coverage. What they should first and foremost have said was "Mr 'X' has won and will receive 'Y' delegates for the GOP Convention in Tampa which will happen a long long way down the road in this process of choosing the GOP presidential nominee. Mr 'X' now has a total of 25 delegates, he needs 1214 delegates to secure the GOP nomination".
The emphasis at any time in this process has to be on how many delegates the candidates have and how many they need, not reporting the horse race results after each caucus or primary and then having the talking heads come on and say "This is almost over" and "One more result like tonight and Mr 'X' has the nomination virtually sewn up". What? After TWO contests? And one of those a caucus where but a few thousand people get involved? Really? All over so soon? No. Of course it isn't. The media want you to think it is by telling you they want it to be so.
Heck even the less than unbiased information source called Conservapedia says of the 2012 GOP nominating process that "It is virtually impossible for a candidate to win a majority of delegates before June 2012". ( direct quote )
Why did the news media not report the contests this way? It almost seems they are conspiring with the big money donors, the GOP and the people on the inside to tell us, the saps in this entire process, that "It's all over now. Nothing to see after Florida". Which is of course palpably untrue and does a tremendous disservice to the political process in this country.
And it simply adds insult to the proverbial knee-in-the-groin injury, when you come to find out that this year, the delegates in contests before April 2012 will be allocated proportionately to their vote totals in any particular caucus or primary. This fact alone makes it even more important then ever for the news media to restrain from picking and anointing "The Big Winner" and to just report the three simple facts of, how many votes did each candidate get, how many delegates does that number translate into and how many delegates short of 1214 is each person who is still running.
I am truly appalled by all news organizations' efforts in covering the GOP nominating process to date.
And the sad thing is I don't see them getting any better as we move on to the Florida primary. They clearly will not accept any culpability in their distortion of a process designed not to be over until June at the earliest.
Phew! Rant over.
And I didn't even get to what piss poor candidates they are. How can Newt Gingrich, an insider if ever such a beast existed, get the GOP nomination for President when Congress ( his domain ) has an approval rating of 8%? Which. as was pointed out last week on the TV, is a lower number than the approval rate for Socialism.
And Romney, a man who has changed every thought he ever had in his head?
And Santorum, a theocratic loon with a strange and unhealthy obsession with same-sex relationships?
WTF America? WTF.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Bolt from the Blue
My favorite ranting "Family Values Radio Station" AM 1040 WLVJ has been sold! Just learned it from Dennis O'Donovan on his "Religion, Politics and the Culture" pro-Catholic daily gabfest. Apparently, from January 1st, it's all over.
So I have rushed to the Interwebs and learned IT IS ALL TRUE! OMG!
In other filings with the FCC, JAMES CRYSTAL ENTERPRISES' JCE LICENSES, L.L.C. is selling Religion WLVJ-A/BOYNTON BEACH, FL to ACTUALIDAD 1040AM LICENSEE, LLC for $2.3 million plus a time brokerage agreement before closing. The buyer, through parent ACTUALIDAD LICENSEE 1020AM, LLC, owns Ethnic WURN-A (RADIO MEGA)/KENDALL-MIAMI, FL and recently bought the construction permit for WURN-F/KEY LARGO.
So I guess, it is going all Spanish, all the time? OMG. Where am I going to go to hear the biggest charlatans on South Florida radio? Yes, I'm thinking of you, Charles Capps and Brother Stair all through the night.
In some ways I am devastated to think that the object of almost 20 years of my unbridled scorn is no more. But of course on the opposite side of that coin, I'm elated because in the true Sheenian sense of the term, I see this as "winning". The dust clears and who is left standing? ME!
So that's Me: 1 Baby Jesus: 0
But don't worry about me dear readers, my invective can now fully turn to the FM dial where we have WRMB, WAFG and WCNO all on my radar. WCNO is the worst, carrying as it does the uber-charlatan that is Joyce Meyer, but WRMB is up there with one of its "Pastors" describing a woman born as the result of a "rape relationship".
This fight ain't over, though it is round one to me.
So I have rushed to the Interwebs and learned IT IS ALL TRUE! OMG!
In other filings with the FCC, JAMES CRYSTAL ENTERPRISES' JCE LICENSES, L.L.C. is selling Religion WLVJ-A/BOYNTON BEACH, FL to ACTUALIDAD 1040AM LICENSEE, LLC for $2.3 million plus a time brokerage agreement before closing. The buyer, through parent ACTUALIDAD LICENSEE 1020AM, LLC, owns Ethnic WURN-A (RADIO MEGA)/KENDALL-MIAMI, FL and recently bought the construction permit for WURN-F/KEY LARGO.
So I guess, it is going all Spanish, all the time? OMG. Where am I going to go to hear the biggest charlatans on South Florida radio? Yes, I'm thinking of you, Charles Capps and Brother Stair all through the night.
In some ways I am devastated to think that the object of almost 20 years of my unbridled scorn is no more. But of course on the opposite side of that coin, I'm elated because in the true Sheenian sense of the term, I see this as "winning". The dust clears and who is left standing? ME!
So that's Me: 1 Baby Jesus: 0
But don't worry about me dear readers, my invective can now fully turn to the FM dial where we have WRMB, WAFG and WCNO all on my radar. WCNO is the worst, carrying as it does the uber-charlatan that is Joyce Meyer, but WRMB is up there with one of its "Pastors" describing a woman born as the result of a "rape relationship".
This fight ain't over, though it is round one to me.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Question
For a "ministry" ( and I use that term in the law's loosest sense ), doesn't it seem rather....unseemly?
Sort of "God and Mammon" or "Jesus and the Moneychangers" unseemly?
So I think we should ask Jim Daly (above), what is the true slogan of his company? Perhaps what he really should be using is "Business before Belief" or "Money before Morals" or "Lucre before Love"?
I've got it: "Helping Ourselves To Your Finances".
Really I guess they could change the name of the whole money grubbing organization to "Finance Not Families". Then I guess at least we might see some Truth in Advertising".
But I guess I should not have expected more from the organization with its own the gulag in Colorado Springs because what they have forgotten about Christian charity is more than the world will ever know.
Saturday, November 05, 2011
This bugs me 2
What really bugs me about the Herman Cain sexual harassment story is the media's total inability to explain the law. On CNN last night ( 11/04/11 ), on Andersen Cooper's snoozefest, Gloria Borgia and Jeffrey Tubin both said the story would go away because no specific actions of Herman Cain have been identified to say "he did sexual harassment".
Guys, in the case of sexual harassment, the accused DOESN'T HAVE TO PHYSICALLY DO ANYTHING.
This is a law which says harassment happened when the accuser says it happened.
One of the categories of harassment is "hostile workplace". This means the accuser just has to say she felt uncomfortable and the object of their claim has just about no defense in law that will save him.
You don't have to touch, you don't have to speak - all it might take is a photo on your desk of your wife showing just a little cleavage and "bang!", you are done.
Have none of the so called "pundits" on TV had ANY training in their workplaces on sexual harassment? Some companies say to their employees, "No girlfriend pictures on your desk - because it's best to play it safe".
So to try to protect yourself from false allegations, you sit in an office with a desk, a chair and all white walls - and some bimbo will still say "I felt very uncomfortable in Mr X's office. It felt like he was examining me. You know? Like in a doctor's office. It really creeped me out. I thought he was coming over the desk next. With a speculum and a very slow grin. I had to get out of there!" "Bang!" You are guilty again.
So it doesn't matter what Mr Cain did. It doesn't matter if he perceives he did nothing wrong. It doesn't matter whether 99.9999999% of the population thinks he did nothing wrong. Sexual Harassment as a charge rests solely in the eye of the alleged victim. And once a complaint is levelled, you can't get out from under it.
And if you pay to make it go away, it makes you look guilty.
And "no admission of liability" is just weaselly lawyer-speak that no one but lowlife attorneys believe means ANYTHING.
So the media verdict is "this story is going away". And you know what? If you were a regular Joe, your goose right now would be cooked. And your ability to get ANY new job ( let alone the job of President ) would be very difficult.
Guys, in the case of sexual harassment, the accused DOESN'T HAVE TO PHYSICALLY DO ANYTHING.
This is a law which says harassment happened when the accuser says it happened.
One of the categories of harassment is "hostile workplace". This means the accuser just has to say she felt uncomfortable and the object of their claim has just about no defense in law that will save him.
You don't have to touch, you don't have to speak - all it might take is a photo on your desk of your wife showing just a little cleavage and "bang!", you are done.
Have none of the so called "pundits" on TV had ANY training in their workplaces on sexual harassment? Some companies say to their employees, "No girlfriend pictures on your desk - because it's best to play it safe".
So to try to protect yourself from false allegations, you sit in an office with a desk, a chair and all white walls - and some bimbo will still say "I felt very uncomfortable in Mr X's office. It felt like he was examining me. You know? Like in a doctor's office. It really creeped me out. I thought he was coming over the desk next. With a speculum and a very slow grin. I had to get out of there!" "Bang!" You are guilty again.
So it doesn't matter what Mr Cain did. It doesn't matter if he perceives he did nothing wrong. It doesn't matter whether 99.9999999% of the population thinks he did nothing wrong. Sexual Harassment as a charge rests solely in the eye of the alleged victim. And once a complaint is levelled, you can't get out from under it.
And if you pay to make it go away, it makes you look guilty.
And "no admission of liability" is just weaselly lawyer-speak that no one but lowlife attorneys believe means ANYTHING.
So the media verdict is "this story is going away". And you know what? If you were a regular Joe, your goose right now would be cooked. And your ability to get ANY new job ( let alone the job of President ) would be very difficult.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
This bugs me
I've been thinking recently about stuff that bugs me about American politics. And no, it's not about Fox News having no discernible "News" in it or why the cable "news" outlets always interview the same people over and over and over again - no, not the obvious stuff.
What's been bugging me is demonization of political opponents. If you will, the creation of the Political Bogeyman. Or in the case of MSNBC, Political Bogey Brothers.
Rachel Maddow and the lefties at MSNBC do it using the Koch brothers. Fox News and the blowhards of talk radio do it with George Soros. And for the the sake of serious political debate it has really got to stop.
So the Koch bothers have an agenda? What Lassie? They fund astroturfing sites masquerading as grassroots organizations? I'm shocked! Nay, outraged!
But actually, no I'm not. I'm saddened because we can now target individual people and scapegoat them as the cause of our country's, or our own personal misfortunes. "These are the guys. These two guys who are secretly rigging the deck against me". No. They are simply rich people who have a desire to remain that way. And they have influence while I don't? Excuse me while I cry into my Wheaties.
And Fox is no better with Soros. "The Billionaire Socialist" who funds Media Matters? ( Which he doesn't ). They are saying just what Rachel is saying on MSNBC. They are pointing to a citizen who's operating perfectly legitimately within our political system and they are saying to their sheeple "This is the guy who you can legitimately blame for everything bad that's happening to you."
Here's a suggestion for you - When this demonization is next happening on your TV set, replace the name "George Soros" with the word "Jew" or "Koch Brothers" with "Jews" and tell me what the taste in your mouth is.
Because I think it's hate and self pity together and we need to tell the media to cut it out.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Email to Janet Parshall
Dear Janet,
Just when I thought you could never be a bigger schill than you are for the Republican party , you go and prove me wrong with the broadcast of 9/27/11 and the piece about "Christians for A Sustainable Economy" (CASE) and it's founders, Dr. Timothy Dalrymple and Kelly Monroe Kullberg.
Pure politics Janet. These people wouldn't understand the teachings of Christ about the poor if he returned and explained it to them personally.
So Kelly's pushing this ridiculous statement of "Jesus came to remove your financial debts" while at the same time having to reconcile that square peg with the round hole of Jesus saying "the poor will always be with you". Priceless. As with all GOP operatives, irony is completely lost on her.
You often have rabidly religious guests of "the-Lord-spoke-to-me" variety and they are as funny as heck, but Dalrymple and Kullberg are different. They are politicians usurping Jesus' teachings to the GOP agenda.
As I say every time I email you, you excelled your show's low standards once again.
( Janet hosts "In The Market with Janet Parshall", every weekday on Moody Radio )
Just when I thought you could never be a bigger schill than you are for the Republican party , you go and prove me wrong with the broadcast of 9/27/11 and the piece about "Christians for A Sustainable Economy" (CASE) and it's founders, Dr. Timothy Dalrymple and Kelly Monroe Kullberg.
Pure politics Janet. These people wouldn't understand the teachings of Christ about the poor if he returned and explained it to them personally.
So Kelly's pushing this ridiculous statement of "Jesus came to remove your financial debts" while at the same time having to reconcile that square peg with the round hole of Jesus saying "the poor will always be with you". Priceless. As with all GOP operatives, irony is completely lost on her.
You often have rabidly religious guests of "the-Lord-spoke-to-me" variety and they are as funny as heck, but Dalrymple and Kullberg are different. They are politicians usurping Jesus' teachings to the GOP agenda.
As I say every time I email you, you excelled your show's low standards once again.
( Janet hosts "In The Market with Janet Parshall", every weekday on Moody Radio )
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Bill O'Reilly strikes again
Today on the segment of the O'Reilly Factor where Bill discuses legal cases with his "experts" Liz Wiehl and the brunette bint, they were discussing a case out of Idaho where a man was arrested for shooting a Grizzly Bear on his property.
The consensus was that the case would be thrown out because you can shoot an endangered species when it is a threat to your family. The law specifically allows for that.
Bill O'Reilly then concluded the bit with something that went like this :-
"The people of Idaho are sensible people. The case will be thrown out. Can you imagine what would have happened if he'd done this is California?
"Luckily there are no Grizzly Bears in California that we know".
My immediate thought? "Ever heard of Yellowstone National Park Bill?"
To make take a cheap shot at wacky California, he just made himself look like a complete moron.
But that's O'Reilly for you. Bombast in a very large bag of Irish wind.
The consensus was that the case would be thrown out because you can shoot an endangered species when it is a threat to your family. The law specifically allows for that.
Bill O'Reilly then concluded the bit with something that went like this :-
"The people of Idaho are sensible people. The case will be thrown out. Can you imagine what would have happened if he'd done this is California?
"Luckily there are no Grizzly Bears in California that we know".
My immediate thought? "Ever heard of Yellowstone National Park Bill?"
To make take a cheap shot at wacky California, he just made himself look like a complete moron.
But that's O'Reilly for you. Bombast in a very large bag of Irish wind.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Addressing Excessive Folksiness
The time has come to finally address a topic that has been weighing on my mind for the last few months. And that topic is the cloying folksiness of people on Religious Radio.
Now, I'm not going to go for the easy low hanging fruit like Joyce "C'mon I'm preaching good up here" Meyer or the decidedly unbiblical cacklings of Charles "Stay with me here, it will all work out" Capps. No, I want to talk about the people pictured above.
Now, even if like me, you are an avid listener to Focus On The Family, Family Talk and just about anything on Moody Radio, you probably won't recognize either of these people. I'm thinking that you have probably heard them though.
The woman is Carol Barnier and the man is Ron Hutchcraft. The latter is actually a real pastor, but Carol is that most ridiculous of things, she is a "much sought after" Conference Speaker. And to that I have to say "Aren't they all?" Perhaps at first you might think they could not have a whit in common, but actually they share more than first glances might yield.
Let's go with Ron first as he has perhaps a real job. Everyday on Moody Radio after the Janet Parshall comedy show ( "In The Market with Janet Parshall" ), he has a little five minute bit. I don't know what to call it other than a bit. It's not a sermon, it's not a devotional, it's not anything to do with the Bible - it's simply a bit. And should be completely inconsequential, but....
The problem I have is Ron's delivery - always chucklingly folksy, down home and creepy. Like that uncle on who's knee you did not want to sit as a child. It's just skin crawlingly false. And what makes it worse is that, he does it every time. So he's consciously wrapping that clammy arm around your shoulder every day. Why? It is so false feeling, so manipulative, so urgh! This bit makes me feel unclean every weekday at 06:50 PM EST. This man could be the reason why pastors are all portrayed so badly in the movies.
Yes, THAT level of folksy and creepy.
Now Carol is a whole different bag of surprising sameness.
She's frequently to be found on the "Focus On The Family Weekend" radio program, usually dispensing some sound advice to Jim Daly's sheeple on subjects as diverse as kids with ADHD are a "gift", shy children, teaching special needs, and home school leadership. Whatever the frack that last thing is. She is a "Conference Speaker" - so she doesn't have a real job and I guess she lives of the fruits of her husband's labors.
Carol suffers from the excessive folksiness of creepy Uncle Ron to be sure, but she doubles down with a speaking style that cannot decide if she's conversing with a audience of ADHD sufferers or whether she's sharing something slightly risque with her wimmin's Bible study group. "Rest assured I was not always this way". Or "this will produce a perfect outcome for your family. Alas it took me five years to realize this".
The little folksy asides are just patronizing and full of self deprecating faux witticisms - truly you have to hear her to appreciate the level of just sheer godawfulness she brings to the microphone. I guess she's always simply aiming for bonhomie, but she's so far from hitting it all she makes me want to say is "Bon Voyage. And don't come back." Which alas she always does.
Both Ron and Carol are regularly on the radio, patronizing their listeners and doing their schtick and every time I hear them one question comes racing into my mind....
"Why?"
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Three Trips to the Movie Theater
This week I had another birthday and took three trips to the movie theater, twice to see movies and once to watch a play from London.
And guess what? As I get older, I find my tastes in entertainment are really changing. I guess I'm finally growing up at the age of 54. Hollywood, is really trying its best to tell me that I am not in the demographic of their idea of a "regular moviegoer".
So what did I see?
The play was "Henry IV Part 1" recorded with a live audience at the Globe Theater in London. And it was simply glorious - funny as all heck, stirring, heroic and wonderful. Roger Allam who played Falstaff was a standout. All bombast and cowardice in equal measure. The comedy was masterfully juxtaposed with the scenes about kingship and honor - Harry Hotspur was all fire and rashness plunging headlong for honor at all costs, while Prince Hal at all times was musing on what it meant to be a king and you could see right into his mind in his response to the pleadings of "Banish not Jack Falstaff" as he visibly took on his royal mantle.
And did I mention it was funny? Gosh, I don't think I will see anything as good on a big screen this year in the laughs department.
I loved this, Loved it.
Alas, then for my next trip to the theater, the movie train crashed into the buffers of mediocrity. I went to see "Cowboys & Aliens".
The best I can say about this movie is that it was OK for a standard American Summer Movie where a lot of stuff blows up. But, alas all the excitement had been marketed right out of it. I think ALL the action scenes had been showing in trailers and TV talk shows. The aliens were goofy. And by the way, what evolutionary purpose is there in having a an anatomy that actually exposes a creature's heart for ease of stabbing? Out hearts are in our chests for a reason people.
The movie was exceptionally linear, with a very poor story. It seemed very formulaic as if the screenplay had been written by committee. James Bond? Check? Indiana Jones? Check? That Hot Chick from House who does girls? Check.
Sorry that's not enough to hold my interest. But one good thing we can say is that, thank goodness this movie wasn't set up for a sequel.
I guess at 54, I am now officially too old for Summer Blockbuster Season.
And then we came to perhaps the Best Movie of 2011, Wayne Wang's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan".
This movie renewed my faith that there are directors out there making films for someone without acne and raging hormones.
The twin stories are told slowly and with great thoughtfulness. One story is about Nina a hot shot financial executive in Shanghai and her relationship from childhood with her best friend, the more free spirited Sophia. The girls take an oath to be "laotong" which makes them pledged best friends for life after Sophia's snobbish mother banishes Lily from Sophia's side after letting her listen to decadent music.
The two actresses Li Bingbing ( Nina ) and Ji-hyeon ( Sophia ) also play another pair of laotong ( Lily and Snow Flower ) who become fast friends in 19th century China at the time their feet are bound in the hope of making them good wedding matches.
As with the modern women, their fortunes in life over time become reversed because of the financial ruin of one girl's family.
The intertwining of the two stories is handled just wonderfully. Li Bingbing is so good as the laotong who will not let go of her sister even when rejected and pushed away. The final reconciliation of Snow Flower and Lily actually made we cry.
Such a marvellous movie.
Go and see it.
And guess what? As I get older, I find my tastes in entertainment are really changing. I guess I'm finally growing up at the age of 54. Hollywood, is really trying its best to tell me that I am not in the demographic of their idea of a "regular moviegoer".
So what did I see?
The play was "Henry IV Part 1" recorded with a live audience at the Globe Theater in London. And it was simply glorious - funny as all heck, stirring, heroic and wonderful. Roger Allam who played Falstaff was a standout. All bombast and cowardice in equal measure. The comedy was masterfully juxtaposed with the scenes about kingship and honor - Harry Hotspur was all fire and rashness plunging headlong for honor at all costs, while Prince Hal at all times was musing on what it meant to be a king and you could see right into his mind in his response to the pleadings of "Banish not Jack Falstaff" as he visibly took on his royal mantle.And did I mention it was funny? Gosh, I don't think I will see anything as good on a big screen this year in the laughs department.
I loved this, Loved it.
Alas, then for my next trip to the theater, the movie train crashed into the buffers of mediocrity. I went to see "Cowboys & Aliens".
The best I can say about this movie is that it was OK for a standard American Summer Movie where a lot of stuff blows up. But, alas all the excitement had been marketed right out of it. I think ALL the action scenes had been showing in trailers and TV talk shows. The aliens were goofy. And by the way, what evolutionary purpose is there in having a an anatomy that actually exposes a creature's heart for ease of stabbing? Out hearts are in our chests for a reason people.The movie was exceptionally linear, with a very poor story. It seemed very formulaic as if the screenplay had been written by committee. James Bond? Check? Indiana Jones? Check? That Hot Chick from House who does girls? Check.
Sorry that's not enough to hold my interest. But one good thing we can say is that, thank goodness this movie wasn't set up for a sequel.
I guess at 54, I am now officially too old for Summer Blockbuster Season.
And then we came to perhaps the Best Movie of 2011, Wayne Wang's "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan".This movie renewed my faith that there are directors out there making films for someone without acne and raging hormones.
The twin stories are told slowly and with great thoughtfulness. One story is about Nina a hot shot financial executive in Shanghai and her relationship from childhood with her best friend, the more free spirited Sophia. The girls take an oath to be "laotong" which makes them pledged best friends for life after Sophia's snobbish mother banishes Lily from Sophia's side after letting her listen to decadent music.
The two actresses Li Bingbing ( Nina ) and Ji-hyeon ( Sophia ) also play another pair of laotong ( Lily and Snow Flower ) who become fast friends in 19th century China at the time their feet are bound in the hope of making them good wedding matches.
As with the modern women, their fortunes in life over time become reversed because of the financial ruin of one girl's family.
The intertwining of the two stories is handled just wonderfully. Li Bingbing is so good as the laotong who will not let go of her sister even when rejected and pushed away. The final reconciliation of Snow Flower and Lily actually made we cry.
Such a marvellous movie.
Go and see it.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Hurricane Season 2010 in quotes
Well, we are six weeks into the 2011 Hurricane Season, so it is about time to post the quotes I associated with each 2010 storm.
Tropical Storm Alex - June 27th
Then lowering, and pouring,
The storm no more I dread;
Tho' thickening and blackening,
Round my devoted head.
Tropical Storm Bonnie - July 23rd
Tha'rt welcome, little bonny brid,
But should n't ha' come just when tha did;
Toimes are bad.
We're short o' oobbies for eawr Joe,
But that, of course, that' did n't know,
Did that lad?
Tropical Depression Four - August 2nd
They are all gone away,
The House is shut and still,
There is nothing more to say.
Through broken walls and gray,
The winds blow bleak and shrill;
They are all gone away.
Tropical Storm Colin - August 3rd
'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,
For no man well of such a salve shall speak
That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace.
Tropical Depression Five - August 11th
There's tempest in yon horne'd moon,
Anf lightening in yon cloud;
But hark the music, mariners,
The wind is piping loud!
Tropical Storm Danielle - August 22nd
There is wild water from the north;
The headlands darken in their foam
As with a threat of challenge stubborn earth
Booms at that far wild sea-linecharging home.
Hurricane Danielle - August 23rd
Safe where I cannot die yet,
Safe where hope to lie too,
Safe from the fume and the fret;
You, and you.
Tropical Storm Earl - August 27th
My Lord Tomnoddy's the son of an Earl;
His hair is straight, but his whiskers curl:
His Lordship's forehead is far from wide,
But there's plenty of room fpr the brains inside.
Hurricane Earl - August 29th
Hast thou in keep some higher, calmer biss?
Ah me! It is pleasant to behold the light,
And missing this.
Hurricane Earl - August 30th
Soon he was safe home, dry as could be.
Soon woke the Dormouse - "Good gracious me!"
Tropical Storm Fiona - Auguest 31st
If you are but a mortal maid,
Then I shall make you half afraid.
The water shall be dim and deep,
The silver fish shall lunge and leap,
About you, coward mortal thing.
Tropical Storm Gaston - September 2nd
To day deep thoughts resolve with me to drench
In mirth, that after no repenting drawes;
Let Euclid rest and Archimedes pause,
And what the Swede intend, and what the French.
Tropical Storm Igor - September 8th
A foutre for the world and worldlings base!
I speak of Africa and golden joys.
Hurricane Igor - September 13th
Safe from the frost and the snow,
Safe from the storm and the sun,
Safe where the seeds wait to grow
One by one,
And come back in blow.
Tropical Storm Julia - September 13th
Thus sung they in the English boat
A holy and a cheerful note:
And all the way, yo guide their chime,
With falling oars they kept the time.
Tropical Storm Karl - September 15th
Through the tracery of bamboo plumes against the afterglow,
I saw mystery flicker along the sky-line
And vanish over Yucatan.
Tropical Storm Lisa - September 21st
The water shall be dim and deep,
And silver fish shall lunge and leap
About you, coward mortal thing.
Tropical Storm Matthew - September 25th
The wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
And the place thereof shall know it no more.
Tropical Depression Sixteen - September 28th
In summo periculo timor misericordiam non recipit.
"In extreme danger fear feels no pity"
De loin, c'est quelque chose; et de pres, ce n'est rien
"From a distance it is something; and nearby it is nothing"
Tropical Storm Nicole - September 29th
Ubi explorari vera non possunt, falsa per metum augentur.
"When the truth cannot be clearly made out, what is false is increased through fear"
Tropical Storm Otto - October 7th
Men die, but sorrow never dies;
The crowding years divide in vain,
And the wide world is knit with ties
Of common brotherhood in pain.
Hurricane Paula - October 12th
Undique enim ad inferos tantumdem viae est.
"There are countless roads on all sides to the grave"
Tropical Storm Richard - October 21st
We look though gloom and storm-drift
Beyond the years:
The soul would have no rainbow
Had the eyes no tears.
Tropical Storm Alex - June 27th
Then lowering, and pouring,
The storm no more I dread;
Tho' thickening and blackening,
Round my devoted head.
Tropical Storm Bonnie - July 23rd
Tha'rt welcome, little bonny brid,
But should n't ha' come just when tha did;
Toimes are bad.
We're short o' oobbies for eawr Joe,
But that, of course, that' did n't know,
Did that lad?
Tropical Depression Four - August 2nd
They are all gone away,
The House is shut and still,
There is nothing more to say.
Through broken walls and gray,
The winds blow bleak and shrill;
They are all gone away.
Tropical Storm Colin - August 3rd
'Tis not enough that through the cloud thou break,
To dry the rain on my storm-beaten face,
For no man well of such a salve shall speak
That heals the wound and cures not the disgrace.
Tropical Depression Five - August 11th
There's tempest in yon horne'd moon,
Anf lightening in yon cloud;
But hark the music, mariners,
The wind is piping loud!
Tropical Storm Danielle - August 22nd
There is wild water from the north;
The headlands darken in their foam
As with a threat of challenge stubborn earth
Booms at that far wild sea-linecharging home.
Hurricane Danielle - August 23rd
Safe where I cannot die yet,
Safe where hope to lie too,
Safe from the fume and the fret;
You, and you.
Tropical Storm Earl - August 27th
My Lord Tomnoddy's the son of an Earl;
His hair is straight, but his whiskers curl:
His Lordship's forehead is far from wide,
But there's plenty of room fpr the brains inside.
Hurricane Earl - August 29th
Hast thou in keep some higher, calmer biss?
Ah me! It is pleasant to behold the light,
And missing this.
Hurricane Earl - August 30th
Soon he was safe home, dry as could be.
Soon woke the Dormouse - "Good gracious me!"
Tropical Storm Fiona - Auguest 31st
If you are but a mortal maid,
Then I shall make you half afraid.
The water shall be dim and deep,
The silver fish shall lunge and leap,
About you, coward mortal thing.
Tropical Storm Gaston - September 2nd
To day deep thoughts resolve with me to drench
In mirth, that after no repenting drawes;
Let Euclid rest and Archimedes pause,
And what the Swede intend, and what the French.
Tropical Storm Igor - September 8th
A foutre for the world and worldlings base!
I speak of Africa and golden joys.
Hurricane Igor - September 13th
Safe from the frost and the snow,
Safe from the storm and the sun,
Safe where the seeds wait to grow
One by one,
And come back in blow.
Tropical Storm Julia - September 13th
Thus sung they in the English boat
A holy and a cheerful note:
And all the way, yo guide their chime,
With falling oars they kept the time.
Tropical Storm Karl - September 15th
Through the tracery of bamboo plumes against the afterglow,
I saw mystery flicker along the sky-line
And vanish over Yucatan.
Tropical Storm Lisa - September 21st
The water shall be dim and deep,
And silver fish shall lunge and leap
About you, coward mortal thing.
Tropical Storm Matthew - September 25th
The wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
And the place thereof shall know it no more.
Tropical Depression Sixteen - September 28th
In summo periculo timor misericordiam non recipit.
"In extreme danger fear feels no pity"
De loin, c'est quelque chose; et de pres, ce n'est rien
"From a distance it is something; and nearby it is nothing"
Tropical Storm Nicole - September 29th
Ubi explorari vera non possunt, falsa per metum augentur.
"When the truth cannot be clearly made out, what is false is increased through fear"
Tropical Storm Otto - October 7th
Men die, but sorrow never dies;
The crowding years divide in vain,
And the wide world is knit with ties
Of common brotherhood in pain.
Hurricane Paula - October 12th
Undique enim ad inferos tantumdem viae est.
"There are countless roads on all sides to the grave"
Tropical Storm Richard - October 21st
We look though gloom and storm-drift
Beyond the years:
The soul would have no rainbow
Had the eyes no tears.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Is THAT Trial Over Yet?
Zapping the TV channels this weekend, multiple times I hit some screeching harpy saying "the nation has been captivated for the last month by the trial of Casey Anthony". Really? I haven't. The coverage by CNN, Fox et al has been uniformly appalling. And let's not even talk about the withering scorn-filled harridan that is Nancy Grace. The truth is that the 24 hour news channels loved this story and shoved it down the nation's throat and told us we were "fascinated" with its bile-tasting horribleness.
How different would it have been if there was a 30 second spot per day on the TV with the anchor saying something like "The Casey Anthony trial continued today. The defense made more indefensible statements". What do I really gain seeing everything from gavel to gavel? I trust the jury system. So all you need to tell me is that (a) the trial is going on and (b) the result.
I have no need for "experts", no need for panels, no need for Marsha Clark or Mark Fuhrman and Stepford judges and their "analysis". I really don't need Margret Carlson's opinions on Fox. I know what she is going to say before she opens her mouth. Because what comes out is always cliche and platitude.
And really and truly I have no need for Nancy "Tot Mom" Grace.
Why does she still have a TV show after she made that woman kill herself? And yes, tragedy happens to many people Nancy, it doesn't make you special or more caring than the rest of us. And it surely does not mean you have a right to an horrific TV show. I think we should buy Nancy pitchforks for Christmas. She sure as hell will know how to wield them before the mobs she inflames with her fatuous rhetoric.
And the trial? It cannot be first degree murder if the prosecution cannot say how the poor child died.
Ms Anthony is going to be convicted for being a "bad mother" and for dancing.
How different would it have been if there was a 30 second spot per day on the TV with the anchor saying something like "The Casey Anthony trial continued today. The defense made more indefensible statements". What do I really gain seeing everything from gavel to gavel? I trust the jury system. So all you need to tell me is that (a) the trial is going on and (b) the result.
I have no need for "experts", no need for panels, no need for Marsha Clark or Mark Fuhrman and Stepford judges and their "analysis". I really don't need Margret Carlson's opinions on Fox. I know what she is going to say before she opens her mouth. Because what comes out is always cliche and platitude.
And really and truly I have no need for Nancy "Tot Mom" Grace.
Why does she still have a TV show after she made that woman kill herself? And yes, tragedy happens to many people Nancy, it doesn't make you special or more caring than the rest of us. And it surely does not mean you have a right to an horrific TV show. I think we should buy Nancy pitchforks for Christmas. She sure as hell will know how to wield them before the mobs she inflames with her fatuous rhetoric.
And the trial? It cannot be first degree murder if the prosecution cannot say how the poor child died.
Ms Anthony is going to be convicted for being a "bad mother" and for dancing.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Just had a great idea!
Let's tax so called "ministries" that have no religious significance.
Organizations with Churches/Temples/Mosques can still be tax exempt. But putting a so called "chapel" on your campus and therefore paying no taxes as a way of dodging the IRS isn't making your company a religion nor a church.
Are you hearing me Jim Daly? "Doctor" Dobson?
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Quote of 2011
I heard this on Christian radio ( Mission Network News on Wednesday 5/25/11 ) and this is going to be the quote of the year. I have no doubt.
Here it comes.....
Get ready.....
"Believe it or not, underwear will be a conduit for the gospel."
And they were not even talking about the Catholic Church! Can you believe it?
So sounds like something Father O'Malley would say just before he diddles his latest altar boy.
But this was the host of the Mission Network News broadcast talking about a charity that collects underwear for kids after natural disasters. However, as an expression, this maybe THE DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF 2011.
Here it comes.....
Get ready.....
"Believe it or not, underwear will be a conduit for the gospel."
And they were not even talking about the Catholic Church! Can you believe it?
So sounds like something Father O'Malley would say just before he diddles his latest altar boy.
But this was the host of the Mission Network News broadcast talking about a charity that collects underwear for kids after natural disasters. However, as an expression, this maybe THE DOUBLE ENTENDRE OF 2011.
Cacophonous Bling: Gastronomic Delights 1: Tournedos Rossini
Here's a link to a recipe for the great Tournedos Rossini. Yum yum in the tum.
Cacophonous Bling: Gastronomic Delights 1: Tournedos Rossini
Enjoy.
Cacophonous Bling: Gastronomic Delights 1: Tournedos Rossini
Enjoy.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
So much has happened
Oh boy. So much has happened since I updated the Olde Travails Page, that I feel what's about to come your way is going to be some seemingly random stream of consciousness nonsense that's gonna seriously sound like ranting.
But I guess if rantings what it sounds like, So Be It.
As I sit here, I can hear the Service America guys installing my new A/C unit. Bang! Bang! Bang! - every two minutes on the sticking door handle on my front door.
I hope when they are done that I will be able to exit the house! Still haven't called the handyman to fix that. Or the Window Screens! Aaaaarggghhhhh! Hurricane Season soon. What a procrastinator I am. There you are, I admitted it. Isn't that the First Step to Change? Must ask one of mt tweeters - she keeps posting what seriously sound like her AA steps. Really. Stuff about her "Higher Power". You know the program.
We got Bin Laden. Yay! But people taking to the streets in celebration? Not sure that's really very seemly. But I guess, that's the British Reserve showing through the folds of my flag draped body.
Saw the Morgan Spurlock documentary "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold", and while it most certainly had things to say that were quite interesting, Chomsky had it right when he told Spurlock "You dip your toe in the water and the next thing you know, you are swimming". So really as soon as he took the money, the movie was to some extent, out of his hands and under the control of the sponsors. Witness Pom shooting down all three of his somewhat innovative ad ideas for a standard attack ad on their competitors. Guess which ad shows in the movie?
So ultimately the movie comes out as a good idea that was of necessity hijacked and softened by the very forces it was exposing.
What else?
Saw the movie "Jane Eyre". Put it immediately on my "Best of 2011" Yahoo! Movies list.
The horror of the Summer Comic Book and Sequel Bloat has started at the movie theaters. "Fast Five" took a sh*tload of money and so did "Thor" on their respective opening weekends. The US movie industry is doomed unless it can break out of this cycle of endless nonsense.
I gave up on these movies perhaps 5 years ago. The rest of humanity will do so eventually.
Season Ticket for the Dolphins has been purchased - still no guarantee of a season. Next up, 24 tickets for SteveFest 2011.
Newt Gingrich is running for President. He has no chance of the Republican nomination. But all the "Committing Adultery while Impeaching Clinton" stories should at least keep the campaigning fun. Plus Rick with a silent "P" Santorum is running. We should start a a pool to try and guess when the first mainstream journalist will say "Man on Dog". Hehehe.
And finally, I have three words that need to be said, nay they need to be SHOUTED from the rooftops :-
"Zombie Strippers 2".
But I guess if rantings what it sounds like, So Be It.
As I sit here, I can hear the Service America guys installing my new A/C unit. Bang! Bang! Bang! - every two minutes on the sticking door handle on my front door.
I hope when they are done that I will be able to exit the house! Still haven't called the handyman to fix that. Or the Window Screens! Aaaaarggghhhhh! Hurricane Season soon. What a procrastinator I am. There you are, I admitted it. Isn't that the First Step to Change? Must ask one of mt tweeters - she keeps posting what seriously sound like her AA steps. Really. Stuff about her "Higher Power". You know the program.
We got Bin Laden. Yay! But people taking to the streets in celebration? Not sure that's really very seemly. But I guess, that's the British Reserve showing through the folds of my flag draped body.
Saw the Morgan Spurlock documentary "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold", and while it most certainly had things to say that were quite interesting, Chomsky had it right when he told Spurlock "You dip your toe in the water and the next thing you know, you are swimming". So really as soon as he took the money, the movie was to some extent, out of his hands and under the control of the sponsors. Witness Pom shooting down all three of his somewhat innovative ad ideas for a standard attack ad on their competitors. Guess which ad shows in the movie?
So ultimately the movie comes out as a good idea that was of necessity hijacked and softened by the very forces it was exposing.
What else?
Saw the movie "Jane Eyre". Put it immediately on my "Best of 2011" Yahoo! Movies list.
The horror of the Summer Comic Book and Sequel Bloat has started at the movie theaters. "Fast Five" took a sh*tload of money and so did "Thor" on their respective opening weekends. The US movie industry is doomed unless it can break out of this cycle of endless nonsense.
I gave up on these movies perhaps 5 years ago. The rest of humanity will do so eventually.
Season Ticket for the Dolphins has been purchased - still no guarantee of a season. Next up, 24 tickets for SteveFest 2011.
Newt Gingrich is running for President. He has no chance of the Republican nomination. But all the "Committing Adultery while Impeaching Clinton" stories should at least keep the campaigning fun. Plus Rick with a silent "P" Santorum is running. We should start a a pool to try and guess when the first mainstream journalist will say "Man on Dog". Hehehe.
And finally, I have three words that need to be said, nay they need to be SHOUTED from the rooftops :-
"Zombie Strippers 2".
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Please don't clap
We seem to have developed a habit of clapping at let's say, inoppurtune times.
You really should not be clapping :-
1. In Church - It's a SERMON not a SPEECH. Unless you are listening to John "Fat Man" Hagee.
2. When someone introduces you on a TV show - See Chelsea Handler's nightly panel.
3. When watching a comedian - You are supposed to be laughing - applause can so easily be patronizing condescension.
You really should not be clapping :-
1. In Church - It's a SERMON not a SPEECH. Unless you are listening to John "Fat Man" Hagee.
2. When someone introduces you on a TV show - See Chelsea Handler's nightly panel.
3. When watching a comedian - You are supposed to be laughing - applause can so easily be patronizing condescension.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
2011 Shaping Up As a Bad Bad Year 4 Movies
Thanks to the 2011 preview edition of Empire magazine, here is a list of the movies I will be seriously avoiding this year. The usual rules apply, No Sequels, Remakes, Comic Books and adaptations of old TV Shows.
Originality is all I crave.
So here goes:-
Transformers - Dark Of The Moon
Pirates Of The Carribean - On Stranger Tides
Captain America
Thor
The Green Lantern
X-Men - First Class
Conan The Ballbearing
Spy Kids 4
Footloose
The Hangover Part 2
Arthur
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2
Sherlock Holmes 2
The Three Musketeers
Straw Dogs
Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
The Thing
Twilight - Breaking Dawn Part 1
Scream 4
Final Destination 5
Paranormal Activity 3
Kung Fu Panda 2
Cars 2
Happy Feet 2 in 3D
Fright Night
Piranha 3DD
And finally there's "Jack and Jill" where Adam Sandler plays his own twin sister!
Is it me or is this list even longer than the one from last year?
And they are remaking Straw Dogs? Peckinpah must be spinning in his tequilla bottle.
Originality is all I crave.
So here goes:-
Transformers - Dark Of The Moon
Pirates Of The Carribean - On Stranger Tides
Captain America
Thor
The Green Lantern
X-Men - First Class
Conan The Ballbearing
Spy Kids 4
Footloose
The Hangover Part 2
Arthur
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2
Sherlock Holmes 2
The Three Musketeers
Straw Dogs
Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol
The Thing
Twilight - Breaking Dawn Part 1
Scream 4
Final Destination 5
Paranormal Activity 3
Kung Fu Panda 2
Cars 2
Happy Feet 2 in 3D
Fright Night
Piranha 3DD
And finally there's "Jack and Jill" where Adam Sandler plays his own twin sister!
Is it me or is this list even longer than the one from last year?
And they are remaking Straw Dogs? Peckinpah must be spinning in his tequilla bottle.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Stories that make you go "Huh?"
Every so often, you come across a story on the Interwebs that make you come up short and do one of those Lewis Black style double takes.
This week such a story was the one that said people in the Britain rank 15th in the world for yearly alcohol consumption. Yay! Go Team UK! The Old Country is still good at something after all.
So this ranking of 15th corresponds to a yearly intake of 13.4 litres of pure alcohol per person. Or over 445 pints of strong beer or large glasses of wine. In contrast, Britain's wimpy European neighbors can only pull a lowly 12.2 liters per person.
But then the story gets kind of surreal.
If you discount teetotalers and only put the drinking on the drinkers, the consumption rate in the UK jumps to 15.6 litres per person. Way to go Blighty! This number corresponds to 9.50 litres per woman and a staggering 21.5 litres per man. Surprisingly, a whole 14.4% of the population in Britain do not drink at all.
And guess what? If you think that, you are wronger than wrong.
13.4 litres gives to a ranking of 15th, but 15.6 litres puts you, to quote the article I read, as "out-drunk by about half the countries in the world". The report ranked 193 countries, so 15.6 litres corresponds to a ranking of BELOW 96th !!!
I think that is worth repeating. 13.4 is 15th, 15.6 is below 96th.
Huh? Huh? Huh? Whaaaaa?
The report even said that given these revised figures, Britain is overtaken by countries like Egypt and Iraq. Huh? What The F......?
I guess the action of "normalising for teetotalers" really skews the numbers. Say you have a big Muslim country where almost no one drinks. So 227 million people in Indonesia consume 40 litres of alcohol per year. When you put those 40 litres squarely on the 2 people actually doing the drinking, an initial alcohol consumption rate of of 0.00000018 litres per person becomes 20 litres per person.
Yowzer! Living amongst non-drinkers makes the imbibers go at it even more!
But you have to admit that initially reading 13.4 makes you 15th, you were not expecting that 15.6 litres makes you 97th.
This week such a story was the one that said people in the Britain rank 15th in the world for yearly alcohol consumption. Yay! Go Team UK! The Old Country is still good at something after all.
So this ranking of 15th corresponds to a yearly intake of 13.4 litres of pure alcohol per person. Or over 445 pints of strong beer or large glasses of wine. In contrast, Britain's wimpy European neighbors can only pull a lowly 12.2 liters per person.
But then the story gets kind of surreal.
If you discount teetotalers and only put the drinking on the drinkers, the consumption rate in the UK jumps to 15.6 litres per person. Way to go Blighty! This number corresponds to 9.50 litres per woman and a staggering 21.5 litres per man. Surprisingly, a whole 14.4% of the population in Britain do not drink at all.
Now with these new revised and bigger numbers, you'd really think that Britain would move up from 15th to an even more respectable and higher place in this the World's Table of Serious Boozing Nations....
And guess what? If you think that, you are wronger than wrong.
13.4 litres gives to a ranking of 15th, but 15.6 litres puts you, to quote the article I read, as "out-drunk by about half the countries in the world". The report ranked 193 countries, so 15.6 litres corresponds to a ranking of BELOW 96th !!!
I think that is worth repeating. 13.4 is 15th, 15.6 is below 96th.
Huh? Huh? Huh? Whaaaaa?
The report even said that given these revised figures, Britain is overtaken by countries like Egypt and Iraq. Huh? What The F......?
I guess the action of "normalising for teetotalers" really skews the numbers. Say you have a big Muslim country where almost no one drinks. So 227 million people in Indonesia consume 40 litres of alcohol per year. When you put those 40 litres squarely on the 2 people actually doing the drinking, an initial alcohol consumption rate of of 0.00000018 litres per person becomes 20 litres per person.
Yowzer! Living amongst non-drinkers makes the imbibers go at it even more!
But you have to admit that initially reading 13.4 makes you 15th, you were not expecting that 15.6 litres makes you 97th.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Now it has happened twice!
Twice in my life I have had feelings, I don't want to call them "religious" or to use the weasel word "spiritual" to describe them, but these occasions definitely felt like my life was being guided when they happened.
The first time was of course, the famous -25 metre golf shot. After that happened a thought formed in my mind.
And it was "You do not have to play this stupid game EVER again. You will gain years of life in which to do other things".
And I took that thought and shaped my life around it - not even playing the hateful game when I moved to Florida. A place, let's face it, that might be called "St Andrews of the South".
And I am a better person for having done that.
And now a second instance of such a life changing event has happened.
Yesterday ( February 5th 2011 ), because I cannot play tennis ( "Damn you Tennis Elbow!" ), I decided to get out the bicycle and ride over to see my buddies playing our Saturday morning game. So I got the Raleigh out of the garage and pumped up the tires and took off for the courts which are about 2.5 miles from my house.
I'm tootling along and feeling pretty good, I'm about half way there are then there's a big "BANG!" Oh yes, the back tire just blew itself right off the frame and I had to walk the heavy walk of shame and push the bike back home.
But why is this moment number 2 in my life? Let me explain. As soon as it happened, I thought, "If there is a God, ( and there is not ), this is her telling me to not do this again." Seems to me these thoughts are arising because I'm being guided to stop doing activities that are both (a) mind numbingly repetitive and (b) as boring as an freaking awl.
So guess what? Bicycling is now out of my life and I am now free of participating in this most ridiculously pointless activity.
Free! Free!
The first time was of course, the famous -25 metre golf shot. After that happened a thought formed in my mind.
And it was "You do not have to play this stupid game EVER again. You will gain years of life in which to do other things".
And I took that thought and shaped my life around it - not even playing the hateful game when I moved to Florida. A place, let's face it, that might be called "St Andrews of the South".
And I am a better person for having done that.
And now a second instance of such a life changing event has happened.
Yesterday ( February 5th 2011 ), because I cannot play tennis ( "Damn you Tennis Elbow!" ), I decided to get out the bicycle and ride over to see my buddies playing our Saturday morning game. So I got the Raleigh out of the garage and pumped up the tires and took off for the courts which are about 2.5 miles from my house.
I'm tootling along and feeling pretty good, I'm about half way there are then there's a big "BANG!" Oh yes, the back tire just blew itself right off the frame and I had to walk the heavy walk of shame and push the bike back home.
But why is this moment number 2 in my life? Let me explain. As soon as it happened, I thought, "If there is a God, ( and there is not ), this is her telling me to not do this again." Seems to me these thoughts are arising because I'm being guided to stop doing activities that are both (a) mind numbingly repetitive and (b) as boring as an freaking awl.
So guess what? Bicycling is now out of my life and I am now free of participating in this most ridiculously pointless activity.
Free! Free!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Stephen Colbert Testifies to Congress
I think the time has come to say a few words about this. The first being that Congress has no moral legs to stand on to "Tsk, tsk" Mr Colbert. ELMO has testified before Congress for goodness sake. All high ground was lost a long, long time ago.
Congressmen Conyors came across as a buffoon and most of the members of the committee showed themselves to be intellectual midgets devoid of both a sense of humor and a capacity for rational thought.
He was funny. But he also made telling and serious points, but these idiot representatives seem incapable of holding those two ideas simultaneously in their small round heads. What we saw was them running for cover because of the inevitable sound bites that would be plucked from Colbert's testimony and shown on the TV news in 20 second segments.
What the Congress guys and gals should have done was defend Mr Colbert, not attack him to make themselves appear to have political gravitas before the upcoming election.
Of course the Republicans lambasted him on Fox News ( "Not funny" ), because they have no sense of humor, but I also saw a Democratic "Strategist" doing the same and I thought "you silly, silly woman". Because when you lay down with Neanderthals, your children are going to have really big foreheads and no brains.
Congressmen Conyors came across as a buffoon and most of the members of the committee showed themselves to be intellectual midgets devoid of both a sense of humor and a capacity for rational thought.
He was funny. But he also made telling and serious points, but these idiot representatives seem incapable of holding those two ideas simultaneously in their small round heads. What we saw was them running for cover because of the inevitable sound bites that would be plucked from Colbert's testimony and shown on the TV news in 20 second segments.
What the Congress guys and gals should have done was defend Mr Colbert, not attack him to make themselves appear to have political gravitas before the upcoming election.
Of course the Republicans lambasted him on Fox News ( "Not funny" ), because they have no sense of humor, but I also saw a Democratic "Strategist" doing the same and I thought "you silly, silly woman". Because when you lay down with Neanderthals, your children are going to have really big foreheads and no brains.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Manhattan Declaration
So after all the ballyhoo last year about the Manhattan Declaration, we can now step back and look at the impact of this "call to Christian values" - whatever they are.
So again, let's take 320 million as the US population and let's be generous and say only adults get involved in this nonsense and that they make up 50% of the population.
So 160 million potential signatories, how many people have signed what Chuck Colson said was"the most important document I have ever signed in my life"?
Answer: 461914.
Or put another way, 0.289% of the American people agree with this "Christian Country" idiocy.
Making up a modern day cliche like "I will render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, but I won't render to Caesar that which is God's" is simply not cutting it today Mr.Colson.
Because the future of our nation is more important than cheap word games based on Bible quotes.
So again, let's take 320 million as the US population and let's be generous and say only adults get involved in this nonsense and that they make up 50% of the population.
So 160 million potential signatories, how many people have signed what Chuck Colson said was"the most important document I have ever signed in my life"?
Answer: 461914.
Or put another way, 0.289% of the American people agree with this "Christian Country" idiocy.
Making up a modern day cliche like "I will render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's, but I won't render to Caesar that which is God's" is simply not cutting it today Mr.Colson.
Because the future of our nation is more important than cheap word games based on Bible quotes.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Mel and Oksana
Mel Gibson is a man with all the rage and resentment of an Australian but without their sunny disposition.
Yes, I know. He was born in New York state. But clearly his upbringing in Australia gave him the chip on his shoulder he so lovingly brings to his movie roles.
And Oksana seems (a) to be in this for the money and (b) very naive about Mel Gibson. Did she never watch his movies? Sometimes buried in fiction is the actual man's true character.
Look how may times his characters have to go through the violence wringer. Talk about self loathing.
Yes, I know. He was born in New York state. But clearly his upbringing in Australia gave him the chip on his shoulder he so lovingly brings to his movie roles.
And Oksana seems (a) to be in this for the money and (b) very naive about Mel Gibson. Did she never watch his movies? Sometimes buried in fiction is the actual man's true character.
Look how may times his characters have to go through the violence wringer. Talk about self loathing.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Prince says "Internet is over".
This week, Prince the diminutive artiste formerly known as "Squiggle", boldly announced that "The Internet is over". Of course what is "over" ( and has been for a long long time), is Prince's career. Right now he's as influential as the wax cylinder industry and marginally less relevant.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
formspring
Finally I have to write something about the site www.formspring.me This is a site that allows its users to ask anonymous questions of each other. It's like a more interactive Tweet kind of a deal.
Well since their last site upgrade, certain buttons on the site have completely stopped working - the "More Answers" button for example. So you cannot scroll a page to even see old answers. The site has a troubleshooting forum where every day, people leave posts that this functionality is no longer working.
The people running the site do NOTHING, NICHTS, NADA, absolutely BUGGER ALL in response to these users complaints.
They are, in a few words, useless appendages on the arse-end of the Internet.
This error of course, should be fixed pronto, but in the interest of good user feedback ( and perhaps in getting new users ), these people need to take down the site and restore the old layout until they are in a position to say "That bug is fixed".
Right now the site is generating a huge amount of bad comments from its users and its owners should really be concerned about that.
Oh yes. For me this has been broken for maybe, a MONTH.
Why oh why can't they fix it? The way the error manifests, it might just be a Java version incompatibility - something that should be freaking easy peasy to verify and correct. Or are they giving up on XP? We simply don't know because the site never responds to user concerns.
Vent. Vent. Vent. Dumbasses.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thinking about pastors and their donors
Any preacher or pastor who asks for a "donation" for "this week's radio/TV offer" for "the ongoing work of this ministry" is no better than the money changers Jesus threw out of the temple.
Their "churches" are as the seats of those that sold doves.
I guess that's why they will sell you anything except live birds. But that being said, I have seen the one with the wire coat hanger in his mouth, Robert Schuller, sell little birdie ornaments though.
So really there's no difference. NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL. Charlatans all.
Their "churches" are as the seats of those that sold doves.
I guess that's why they will sell you anything except live birds. But that being said, I have seen the one with the wire coat hanger in his mouth, Robert Schuller, sell little birdie ornaments though.
So really there's no difference. NO DIFFERENCE AT ALL. Charlatans all.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
S.E.Cupp on Bill Maher
Self professed atheist S.E.Cupp was on Bill Maher's HBO show this week but her strident assetions on the benefits of religion certainly belie her claim to non-belief. Bill pressed her to say that people who believe in the talking snake and all that rigamarole were deluded and she just couldn't do it.
She did at one time say she had a Masters in Religious Studies and then, for me, the light went on.
She's an atheist as much as those guys who get biology degrees and end up working at The Discovery Institute are scientists.
Classic fifth columnist stuff.
And to put the cherry right on top of this very rancid cake, the president of the Media Research Council, the ginger dweeb that is Brent Bozell contributes a quote on the dust cover of Cupp's latest book "Losing Our Religion: The Liberal Media's Attack On Christianity".
Enough said.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Woo! Hoo! No Station in South Florida for Dobson!
Doctor James Dobson's new radio comedy show starts on May 3rd. Here is the link to his new website. http://myfamilytalk.com. Alas, there is no radio station in Dade, Broward or Palm Beach counties that will be carrying it.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Why 2010 sucks at the movies
This is what we have to look forward to for the rest of 2010 :-
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Babies
Iron Man 2
Robin Hood
Shrek For Ever After
Sex and the City 2
Prince of Persia
The A-Team
The Karate Kid
Toy Story 3
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Predators
Hairspray 2
Step Up 3D
The Expendables
Nanny McPhee 2
The Lottery Ticket
Piranha 3-D
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Jackass 3D
Paranormal Activity 2
Saw VII
The Howling: Reborn
Hairy Pooter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Red Dawn
Tron Legacy
The Green Hornet
True Grit
Sequels. Remakes. Comic Books. Hollywood truly is an industry bereft of ideas.
A remake of Red Freaking Dawn??? That's got to be a joke right? And True Grit too?
Only two upcoming Hollywood movies hold any interest for me in 2010.
One is "Salt" with Angelina Jolie. The other is "Knight and Day" with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
And alas I have to say this knowing that Olivia Wilde is in "Tron Legacy".
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Babies
Iron Man 2
Robin Hood
Shrek For Ever After
Sex and the City 2
Prince of Persia
The A-Team
The Karate Kid
Toy Story 3
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Predators
Hairspray 2
Step Up 3D
The Expendables
Nanny McPhee 2
The Lottery Ticket
Piranha 3-D
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Jackass 3D
Paranormal Activity 2
Saw VII
The Howling: Reborn
Hairy Pooter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Red Dawn
Tron Legacy
The Green Hornet
True Grit
Sequels. Remakes. Comic Books. Hollywood truly is an industry bereft of ideas.
A remake of Red Freaking Dawn??? That's got to be a joke right? And True Grit too?
Only two upcoming Hollywood movies hold any interest for me in 2010.
One is "Salt" with Angelina Jolie. The other is "Knight and Day" with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
And alas I have to say this knowing that Olivia Wilde is in "Tron Legacy".
Time to Talk Globalization
Experts say globalization has lifted millions out of poverty and so it must be a good thing.
The middle class in the US have seen their way of life forever altered and this is a bad thing. It is no coincidence that the children of today's parents will most assuredly not have a better life than their moms and dads - something that was unthinkable only one generation ago.
Where you stand on the whole globalization issue in the US depends on just one thing - whether you are in the middle class or whether you are not.
We've all seen them, "economists", "trade experts" and talking heads from rightwing think tanks like The Heritage Foundation on channels like CNBC and Bloomberg TV telling us that globalization is inevitable and we can't stop it. The kicker always for me, is when they say "In the future people will have 7 different careers in their lifetime".
Woah! Hold on Bald Eagle. No one and I mean NO ONE ever questions that statement - a statement always made by some "expert" safely ensconced in a job-for-life post in academia or by a career politician ( code word for lawyer ) who also isn't getting a new job in his lifetime. What is that percentage of re-elected encumbents again? Over 90% I think. These guys won't be changing careers a whopping 7 times. Of that we can be damn sure.
Now another number we always hear is that 70% of the US economy is consumer spending.
What would it mean for the US economy if the middle class don't spend anything? I think we've just had a glimpse of that in this last recession. I'll answer my own question. It means a future of economic stagnation stretching away as far as the eye can see. It means a US decline foreseen by our masters and sanctioned as "good for us" by them. It means lower wages until we can compete with the most poorest exploited persons in the world. It means our rulers are following policies to keep the mass of the American people in fear and economic bondage.
People won't spend money if their economic future is uncertain. Who can pay a mortgage if their wages crash every few years when they have to go out and get that 4th, 5th and 6th new career off the ground?
In the last few years as globalization has taken hold, CEOs have been encouraged to outsource perfectly legitimate middle class jobs from the US to "low cost" countries and the devil take the consequences. Well the consequences will eventually come home to roost when the middle class raises up and says "Enough! No more of this crap" and we will see such a swing to protectionism and isolationism it will make the 1930's look like a global lovefest.
And why are jobs outsourced? To maintain profits. To raise share prices. To give the CEO his bonus. And to hell with any effects this has on the US or its citizens. It's an attitude of "I'm all right Jack. Sod the workers, they'll never get into this club and affect MY life like I've screwed with theirs."
And then this sentence will be reapplied again by expoited and frustrated US citizens :-
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to the separation.
And that declared cause will be that our rulers have destroyed what it means to be an American. They have destroyed our economy, our way of life and more crucially they have destroyed the American middle class' hope for a better future for themselves and their families.
And with that declaration, the middle class of the United States will dissolve the government of it's elected rulers and throw off the serfdom and poverty into which those leaders have forced them. The only difference will be that this time the middle class with throw off the rule of Washington elites, lobbyists, CEOs and Academia. It is not going to be pretty.
The only way to avoid the coming storm is to change from the disastrous economic course on which we have been set and for the government of these United States to realize the depth of middle class resentment that they are creating.
The middle class in the US have seen their way of life forever altered and this is a bad thing. It is no coincidence that the children of today's parents will most assuredly not have a better life than their moms and dads - something that was unthinkable only one generation ago.
Where you stand on the whole globalization issue in the US depends on just one thing - whether you are in the middle class or whether you are not.
We've all seen them, "economists", "trade experts" and talking heads from rightwing think tanks like The Heritage Foundation on channels like CNBC and Bloomberg TV telling us that globalization is inevitable and we can't stop it. The kicker always for me, is when they say "In the future people will have 7 different careers in their lifetime".
Woah! Hold on Bald Eagle. No one and I mean NO ONE ever questions that statement - a statement always made by some "expert" safely ensconced in a job-for-life post in academia or by a career politician ( code word for lawyer ) who also isn't getting a new job in his lifetime. What is that percentage of re-elected encumbents again? Over 90% I think. These guys won't be changing careers a whopping 7 times. Of that we can be damn sure.
Now another number we always hear is that 70% of the US economy is consumer spending.
What would it mean for the US economy if the middle class don't spend anything? I think we've just had a glimpse of that in this last recession. I'll answer my own question. It means a future of economic stagnation stretching away as far as the eye can see. It means a US decline foreseen by our masters and sanctioned as "good for us" by them. It means lower wages until we can compete with the most poorest exploited persons in the world. It means our rulers are following policies to keep the mass of the American people in fear and economic bondage.
People won't spend money if their economic future is uncertain. Who can pay a mortgage if their wages crash every few years when they have to go out and get that 4th, 5th and 6th new career off the ground?
In the last few years as globalization has taken hold, CEOs have been encouraged to outsource perfectly legitimate middle class jobs from the US to "low cost" countries and the devil take the consequences. Well the consequences will eventually come home to roost when the middle class raises up and says "Enough! No more of this crap" and we will see such a swing to protectionism and isolationism it will make the 1930's look like a global lovefest.
And why are jobs outsourced? To maintain profits. To raise share prices. To give the CEO his bonus. And to hell with any effects this has on the US or its citizens. It's an attitude of "I'm all right Jack. Sod the workers, they'll never get into this club and affect MY life like I've screwed with theirs."
And then this sentence will be reapplied again by expoited and frustrated US citizens :-
When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes that impel them to the separation.
And that declared cause will be that our rulers have destroyed what it means to be an American. They have destroyed our economy, our way of life and more crucially they have destroyed the American middle class' hope for a better future for themselves and their families.
And with that declaration, the middle class of the United States will dissolve the government of it's elected rulers and throw off the serfdom and poverty into which those leaders have forced them. The only difference will be that this time the middle class with throw off the rule of Washington elites, lobbyists, CEOs and Academia. It is not going to be pretty.
The only way to avoid the coming storm is to change from the disastrous economic course on which we have been set and for the government of these United States to realize the depth of middle class resentment that they are creating.
And don't get me started what are leaders are doing to manufacturing jobs.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
And So It Goes
Nothing undermines the lies of the new regime at Focus On The Family than their treatment of James Dobson. The whole scale political revisionism continues in its almost Stalinesque purge of any reference to James Dobson from the Focus on the Family website.
Now all the icons for "The James Dobson Family Minute" are replaced with those for something now called the "Focus On The Family Minute". Of course, the former all had a head shot of James Dobson on them. The new "Family Minute"? No.
In fact I have been searching the Focus Archive and I can't find ANY "J.D. Minutes" anywhere!
So Jim Daly can continue to mouth his platitudes about honoring Doctor Dobson and saying how everyone in the Colorado Springs gulag loves him, but as the Bible says "By their works, you shall know them".
And judging by Jim Daly's works so far, he's an unchristian power hungry megalomaniac.
However, I will concede he has one thing in common with James Dobson - he doesn't believe the Commandment about bearing false witness applies to him or the other loons at FoF.
Now all the icons for "The James Dobson Family Minute" are replaced with those for something now called the "Focus On The Family Minute". Of course, the former all had a head shot of James Dobson on them. The new "Family Minute"? No.
In fact I have been searching the Focus Archive and I can't find ANY "J.D. Minutes" anywhere!
So Jim Daly can continue to mouth his platitudes about honoring Doctor Dobson and saying how everyone in the Colorado Springs gulag loves him, but as the Bible says "By their works, you shall know them".
And judging by Jim Daly's works so far, he's an unchristian power hungry megalomaniac.
However, I will concede he has one thing in common with James Dobson - he doesn't believe the Commandment about bearing false witness applies to him or the other loons at FoF.
Friday, February 26, 2010
And Dobson's last day finally arrived
The Focus On The Family broadcast of 2/26/10 was a continuation of yesterday's "Passing The Baton At Focus" program with Jim Daly, John Fuller, General Pat Caruana and Doctor Dobson in the studio. But however much false bonhomie they tried to display and how ever much they tried sucking up to Doctor, there were three telling instances that JIM DALY WAS IN CHARGE.
The first was early on when Doctor Dobson very sheepishly asked "May I be permitted to say say goodbye to our listeners out there?" - like he needed Daly's permission and was audibly cowering in front of him.
The second instance was when Dobson said "Can I tell people what you are doing for us?" This was when he said that Focus On The Family's board was giving him $1 million dollars to start "at ground zero again". Again clearly snivellingly deferring to Jim Daly. But what a golden parachute to start his new venture with! Again I have to think he really put the screws to the board to get that kind of moolah. After all, isn't Focus On The Family kind of short of money? They certainly tell us so at the end of every Focus On The Family broadcast. Where did that million come from? Did they find it in the Focus couch?
I wonder how all the people who Focus have laid off recently feel about this "donation"?
And the third and this was the kicker, was when Jim Daly said "We have a couple of minutes left. I'd like to forward you that opportunity to speak to the listeners from your heart". Wow! That's so big of you Jim. So freaking gracious. James Dobson doesn't need your permission to speak on a Focus On The Family radio program. This was Daly, even in the last few minutes of Doctor being at Focus saying "Hey! I'M IN CHARGE". Subtle but telling I think.
So, so long Doctor. I'm certainly going to miss your folksy shtick and your phony outrage about popular culture and the President. Your new venture is not going to be called "James Dobson on the Family" as was previously reported, but "Family Talk". I hope you continuously drain money from Jim Daly's pocket until he realizes what a fatal mistake he has made forcing you out of the "ministry" you founded.
I won't be listening to Jim Daly's Focus On The Family because he's a huge stinking Arschloch and douchebag.
Bye bye.
The first was early on when Doctor Dobson very sheepishly asked "May I be permitted to say say goodbye to our listeners out there?" - like he needed Daly's permission and was audibly cowering in front of him.
The second instance was when Dobson said "Can I tell people what you are doing for us?" This was when he said that Focus On The Family's board was giving him $1 million dollars to start "at ground zero again". Again clearly snivellingly deferring to Jim Daly. But what a golden parachute to start his new venture with! Again I have to think he really put the screws to the board to get that kind of moolah. After all, isn't Focus On The Family kind of short of money? They certainly tell us so at the end of every Focus On The Family broadcast. Where did that million come from? Did they find it in the Focus couch?
I wonder how all the people who Focus have laid off recently feel about this "donation"?
And the third and this was the kicker, was when Jim Daly said "We have a couple of minutes left. I'd like to forward you that opportunity to speak to the listeners from your heart". Wow! That's so big of you Jim. So freaking gracious. James Dobson doesn't need your permission to speak on a Focus On The Family radio program. This was Daly, even in the last few minutes of Doctor being at Focus saying "Hey! I'M IN CHARGE". Subtle but telling I think.So, so long Doctor. I'm certainly going to miss your folksy shtick and your phony outrage about popular culture and the President. Your new venture is not going to be called "James Dobson on the Family" as was previously reported, but "Family Talk". I hope you continuously drain money from Jim Daly's pocket until he realizes what a fatal mistake he has made forcing you out of the "ministry" you founded.
I won't be listening to Jim Daly's Focus On The Family because he's a huge stinking Arschloch and douchebag.
Bye bye.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
"Doctor's" last week at Focus On The Family
Well with but two days left for the fabled "celebrations" of Doctor Dobson, he finally was in the Focus studio today with the man who done him wrong, Jim "what a liar" Daly. Also present was The Focus On The Family Chairman, retired Lieutenant General Pat Caruana.
The program was deadly embarrassing - it was very obvious that Doctor Dobson really wanted to be somewhere else.
The program can be summarized as everyone saying "God's hand is on this ministry" and Jim Daly still lying about this being a "planned transition".
Right. Planned in his mind and enacted as a boardroom coup. What a liar.
Doctor did say that his new venture ( "James Dobson On The Family" ) will be getting startup money from Focus. I wonder how he strong armed that out of Jim Daly, a man who he clearly despises? I'm thinking like the end of "The Devil Wears Prada" if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
But thinking that Doctor told Daly, "I'm taking all your donors" now has me seeing him dressed like Meryl Streep in that movie.
Eeeeew! Now I feel so unclean.
The program was deadly embarrassing - it was very obvious that Doctor Dobson really wanted to be somewhere else.
The program can be summarized as everyone saying "God's hand is on this ministry" and Jim Daly still lying about this being a "planned transition".
Right. Planned in his mind and enacted as a boardroom coup. What a liar.
Doctor did say that his new venture ( "James Dobson On The Family" ) will be getting startup money from Focus. I wonder how he strong armed that out of Jim Daly, a man who he clearly despises? I'm thinking like the end of "The Devil Wears Prada" if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
But thinking that Doctor told Daly, "I'm taking all your donors" now has me seeing him dressed like Meryl Streep in that movie.
Eeeeew! Now I feel so unclean.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Doctor Dobson's last week at Focus On The Family II
Well Wednesday's broadcast was simply a repeat of Tuesday's - just schmaltzy voicemails of the sheep saying how much "Doctor" had influenced their lives and on more than one occasion, how a book from the old trout had helped men "understand" their wives.
All rather sad really.
Jim Daly was still lying through his teeth saying "this transition had been planned for years". Except of course all that was planned was for Doctor Dobson to hand over the chairmanship and CEO duties at Focus - not the radio broadcasts as Doctor Dobson himself said last February.
Stealing the radio show and kicking Doctor out of his own ministry - that was all Jim Daly's idea.
Show much for honoring Christ at Focus Mr Daly.
All rather sad really.
Jim Daly was still lying through his teeth saying "this transition had been planned for years". Except of course all that was planned was for Doctor Dobson to hand over the chairmanship and CEO duties at Focus - not the radio broadcasts as Doctor Dobson himself said last February.
Stealing the radio show and kicking Doctor out of his own ministry - that was all Jim Daly's idea.
Show much for honoring Christ at Focus Mr Daly.
James Dobson's Last Week at Focus On The Family I
And so it begins. This week is James Dobson's final week at Focus On The Family and I must say that to date two days in, the previously much vaunted "celebrations" have been less than enthusiastic.
Monday's broadcast did not have Doctor in the studio.
Neither did Tuesday's.
On Monday, the show started with a lot of clips of Doctor and others singing his praises with athe addition of manipulative tinkling background music as per the worst TV evangelists - I'm think of YOU, Rod Parsley. And then a previous recording of Doctor himself explaining Focus' history to a live audience. We've heard that one before. "We were out of money. I went and begged someone for some more. Praise the Lord. Weren't we faithful?"
And that was Monday.
Tuesday was even worse. That program was 100% voicemail recordings of suck up calls from the public. Plus of course with added musical manipulation. I almost barfed up my lunch.
And yes, I would also like to mention the revamped FoF website has been changed again. Gone is the microphone for "Click on Daily Broadcast" to a picture of....you've guessed it! Jim Daly!
This man can't wait until he obliterates all traces of James Dobson from Focus On The Family.
Don't listen to anything he says, by his actions you will know him.
Monday's broadcast did not have Doctor in the studio.
Neither did Tuesday's.
On Monday, the show started with a lot of clips of Doctor and others singing his praises with athe addition of manipulative tinkling background music as per the worst TV evangelists - I'm think of YOU, Rod Parsley. And then a previous recording of Doctor himself explaining Focus' history to a live audience. We've heard that one before. "We were out of money. I went and begged someone for some more. Praise the Lord. Weren't we faithful?"
And that was Monday.
Tuesday was even worse. That program was 100% voicemail recordings of suck up calls from the public. Plus of course with added musical manipulation. I almost barfed up my lunch.
And yes, I would also like to mention the revamped FoF website has been changed again. Gone is the microphone for "Click on Daily Broadcast" to a picture of....you've guessed it! Jim Daly!
This man can't wait until he obliterates all traces of James Dobson from Focus On The Family.
Don't listen to anything he says, by his actions you will know him.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
And so it starts
Skirmishing in the Dobson vs Daly war continues. On the Focus on the Family website, the link to "Listen To Daily Broadcast" used to be a picture of Doctor Dobson, now since the start of February, it is just a big microphone.
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/
With "Doctor" still in theory having a month of employment at FoF, this in practice, is Daly kicking him while he is down and on the way out.
So Christian of him.
But of course, FoF is a "ministry" in name only - for tax exemption purposes and really has nothing to do with Christ or his teachings.
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/
With "Doctor" still in theory having a month of employment at FoF, this in practice, is Daly kicking him while he is down and on the way out.
So Christian of him.
But of course, FoF is a "ministry" in name only - for tax exemption purposes and really has nothing to do with Christ or his teachings.
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