Thursday, March 29, 2007

I'd rather be a hammer than a nail...

Ok, so, I stole this from The Oral Reporter, aka Super-Fiancee.

If I was an hour of the day... I would be the midnight hour.
If I was a planet... I would be Mercury, simmering in the sun. My cold side would freeze you solid, my hot side would cause you to burst into flames.
If I was a direction... I would be aki (one of the cardinal directions of the fourth dimension. Up, down, left, right, in, out, aki, neta.).
If I was a piece of furniture... I would be an overstuffed sofa positioned strategically in front of a fireplace, perfect for reading in on rainy days or snuggling in with a lover on wintry ones.
If I was a liquid... I would be molten silver.
If I was a sin... I would be a dead heat between sloth and gluttony.
If I was a rock... I would be part of a Playmate's belly-jewel (rock as in diamond, dig?).
If I was a tree... I would be home to a family of man-eating squirrels.
If I was a fruit... I would be a watermelon.
If I was a flower... I would be pressed flat in a book.
If I was a musical instrument... I would be a steel guitar.
If I was an element... I would be argon.
If I was color... I would be the golden fire of sun behind thin clouds. Yeah.
If I was an animal... I would be a tortoise.
If I was a sound... I would be keyboard keys clattering.
If I was music... I would be 'In the Halls of the Mountain King'.
If I was a music style... I would be classic rock.
If I was a feeling... I would be that nagging sensation that you've forgotten something important.
If I was a book... I would be 'To Serve Man'.
If I was a food... I would be spaghetti and meatballs with sausage.
If I was a place... I would be The Lost Temple where the Mystic Frammistat that is the only weakness of the Big Bad Guy Threatening All of Existence is kept. I would be loaded with booby-traps, and guarded by fanatics. You'd die before you crossed the threshold.
If I was a flavor... I would be chocolate and peanut-butter.
If I was a scent... I would be the all-pervasive aroma of someone else's perfectly-popped popcorn, driving you insane just before lunchtime.
If I was a word... I would be 'supercalifragilistic-expialidocious'.
If I was a verb... I would be 'endure'.
If I was an object... I would be a trip hazard
If I was a part of the body... I would be the male brain... the lower brain.
If I was a facial expression... I would be a bemused smile.
If I was a cartoon character... I would be Wile E. Coyote.
If I was a movie... I would be "War of the Roses".
If i was a form.. I would be IRS 1099-G.
If I was a number... I would be the square root of -1.
If I was a season... I would be paprika.
If I was a sentence... I would be life without possibility of parole.

Anaphylactic shock sufferers rejoice!!

Soon one of your primary fears, death by honeybee sting, will be naught but a memory. In the US, bee populations across the fruit belt (southern states and California) have seen sharp declines, from 50-90%, the cause of which has yet to be determined.

Of course, while you're dancing for your new-found freedom from allergic shock, you'll want to find some way to prevent scurvy, because without those bees, it'll be more than honey and wax that disappears from grocery aisles.

Say good-bye to fruits, vegetables, and everything that eats them, like cattle, pigs, and people.

So cheer up! That massive population die-off that everyone's been expecting, it's coming soon, and we're gonna take most of the planet with us when we check out. Way to go, human race!

(Oh, oh yeah. I noticed they listed four possible causes, not one of which was the introduction of GM plants to the ecosystem. Fuckin' great investigative reporting, guys, fuckin' great.)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Union Yes! (Just not in the US)

So. My latest issue of Playboy arived today. And now I'm filled with rage and hatred yet again.

Oh, right, sorry. Okay, for those of you who weren't aware, the average issue of Playboy has maybe twenty of its 120-140 pages devoted to pictures of nekkid wimmen. Page 50 of the latest issue (April 2007), is where a story in Forum (not at all like Penthouse Forum, trust me) talks about something good in Iraq.

Labor Unions are forming in Iraq. Pro-western, feminist, anti-fundamentalist, labor unions. And they have received no support at ALL from the US government up to now. In fact, in 2005, one of their leaders was strangled in his home because the US would not un-freeze the union's assets so they could hire bodyguards to protect him.

So, Democratic Party, you are on notice. Get the lead out of your asses and help these people.

Now.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Oh, one small thing...

If you'd like to do some good in the world and get a swipe in at me at the same time, you have until Sunday to do it.

That's right, I'm helping out with St. Baldrick's Day. (And a month will pass before I'm at the wedding, so I should look ok by then, relax.)

So click on the title of this entry to go to the link to my Shavee site. And don't forget your credit cards.

Rumors

of my demise were not so much exaggerated as they were overly enthusiatic predictions that fell short of reality.

Diagnosis: pneumonia. Doc gave me some powerful antibiotics, an inhaler for congestion, and some lovely LOVELY cough syrup laced with a generous helping of poppy extracts. The latter is very welcome, as I'd been coughing so hard and so much that my entire rib cage ached just breathing, let alone coughing, which was becoming excruciating.

So, anyway, that's why I've been kind of quiet lately. Too sick to blog. Too sick to even do a serviceable job of lying on a couch watching TV.

But I'm feeling much better now... here's hoping the medicinal regimen I'm on does the trick.

Friday, March 02, 2007

Memoire-aide, now with 'w'!!

That was my Google word of the day some time back, and it means the same thing basically, as a white paper. And I figure that some of y'all might want to be able to keep score, so I figured, 'what the hey?' If something's not on the list, and you're the type that slows down at wrecks, drop me a line in the comment threads and I'll add it to the list.

So here's a memoire-aide for you, for me:

Abortion: I oppose using abortion as after-the-fact contraception. I have no problems with using it to end a pregnancy that threatens the life of the mother, such as an ectopic pregnancy, or one complicated by pre-eclampsia or any of a host of other things. (Mind you, I also think a woman who toughs something like that out and has the baby anyway, risking her life in the process, is nothing short of a bona-fide heroine par excellance. But I wouldn't require it of anyone.)

I'm not entirely comfortable with the decision, but I've lumped pregnancies caused by rape or incest in with that, since post-partum depression complicated by post-traumatic stress disorder can increase risk of suicide, so no, I don't oppose abortions being available to rape or incest victims either.

The last exception, and one I'm really, REALLY uncomfortable with, and could VERY easily be talked back out of, is for pregnancies where the child has been found to possess some minor or major abnormality that will reduce its quality of life in some way. My uneasiness with this exception varies inversely with the severity of the defect, IE minor abnormalities like Down's syndrome or Cerbal Palsy make me exceptionally squeamish, while major shit like ancephalia gives me little to no pause.

Basically, if you haven't been raped, your baby's daddy isn't your: brother, (grand)daddy, or uncle, nor a close cousin; and the pregnancy poses no more serious health risk than a typical pregnancy does, and the child on the way has nothing wrong with it to speak of, you have no business ending it's life. By this point, it's been established that no one held a gun to the mother's head to make her pregnant. To my knowledge, pregnancy is the only circumstance a person can get themselves into that large groups of people see nothing wrong with them weaselling their way out of by killing someone else (or even maybe killing someone else, if you're one of those people who thinks that the lack of development on the child's part somehow makes it okay to kill them because they aren't 'human enough' yet).

Anna-Nicole Smith: Has creeped me out ever since the movie (Naked Gun 33 and a third?) where she plays a 'chick with a dick'. Just couldn't look at her after that without getting squeamish. I'm sorry she's dead. Oh, and I most definitely am NOT her baby's daddy. But still, is it just me, or was she kinda homely, in the face? I mean, seriously, her face reminded me of the front of a Mack truck, too darn wide, and a real big grill.

Apartheid: I don't like it. Not even a little bit. I used to give some credence to the idea that some people simply make bad neighbors for each other, but once I realized that that assertion was based on skin color, nah, to hell with that noise. Learn to play nice with each other. Stop being dicks to people because they're 'funny-lookin'.

Baseball: The only real American sport.

Capitalism: I like it. Lassiez-faire is everywhere! People should be allowed to fend for themselves however they choose, and help whomever they please (or no one at all if they so choose). People who claim to believe in freedom of choice had best support capitalism, lest they be seen as hypocrites.

Cloning: What's the big deal? You can't clone a person and get a perfect copy with the same memories, that's fantasy. I think the legal status of cloned humans should be that of 'child of the donor'. Cloning animals for meat or other properties sound like a fantastic idea, assuming it can be done safely. Cloning just an organ would be great, and solve all kinds of problems.

Communism: I'm with history on this one. Doesn't work, never has, never will. No one wants to be told what job to learn and do. No one wants to see their hard work go to someone else's benefit without so much as a thank you, let alone fair market value, save that they give it voluntarily.

Corporatism: I have nothing against businesses per se, but when they get to the corporate stage, too large a gap comes into being between the workers and the highest levels of management. Once this gap is reached, management suddenly loses its ability to see its workforce as human, and begins treating them like assets to buy and sell. I understand that business is business, and the business of business is making a profit, I get it. But while a human can sit back, take stock of his possessions, and realise contentment, and think to himself: 'I have enough, I am happy.', a corporation cannot do this. It is never content, it must always grasp after more and more. And it will sacrifice anyone and anything to get more, no matter who is hurt.

Defense: I believe the only valid reason for the existence of national governments is to protect their citizens from other national governments. Obviously, the second-best way to do this is to have such a powerful standing armed force, that no sane nation would attack them, or make friends with such a nation. The best way is to have lots of friends, and few or no enemies. Unfortunately, the 'best way' is sadly unrealistic in the face of global threats to world peace like Islam and Communism.

Democracy: A nice idea, too bad it won't work above the level of city government.

Democrats (the party): Thoroughly useless idiots. Thankfully, they're mostly harmless, because while they're highly prone to wailing and gnashing of teeth over the personal problems of total strangers that really aren't anyone's fault but the total strangers', their only solution to anything is to throw money at it and hope it goes away. AKA DemonicRats.

Education: I think education is far too important to let the goverment mess it up. Education should be privatized immediately if not sooner. At most the government should be allowed to establish a base curriculum, with minimum requirements for arts, history, science, math, and language, and allow the educators and students to decide what to prioritize. If graduates of a particular school can't find jobs: a) they can sue for breach of contract, b) current students (and their parents) can pull them out and put them in a more successful school, and c) parent organizations can pool resources to improve their own schools without oversight. Competition is always best for the consumer. Where is the competition for public education? In private schools that everyone wants their kids in already; clearly private education is already better than public, else no market would exist for it.

Environment: Something we need to take a lot better care of, starting a long time ago.

Federal Gun Control: It's against the law in the US. Try reading the 2nd Amendment some time. The states can have all the gun control their voters will pass referendums for, I could give a rat's ass. But I happen to think the Constitution was a pretty good idea, and oughtn't be messed with by some 'well-intentioned' individuals who think they know better than everyone else.

Football: A fairly stupid name for a marginally interesting game.

Foreign Policy: See Defense.

GM Foods/Animals: I think experimentation should not be considered complete until a realistic assessment of the impact on the natural envirmonment is completed. The only legitimate way to do this is by testing such products in an enclosed ecosystem for years and years, until everything in said testbed has gone through a few generations to see if anything weird shows up. Until that's done, no GM product should be allowed to enter the natural ecosystem.

Goths: Tee-hee, they're so cute. Emos with lousy fashion sense.

Health Care: I believe that everyone has the right to find a job that offers affordable health insurance, or to refuse to work for companies that don't (which will force the companies to do so, thereby making the point moot). I also believe that people have the right to refuse a treatment if they believe it violates their beliefs.

Immigration: Anyone who opposes immigration into the US should be deported immediately. If there's any shortage of room in this country, it's for narrow-minded, bigoted, racist dipwads like them.

Indy-car Racing: A bunch of furriners turning left, really really really fast. Yeah, sign me up for that... not.

Islam: The single greatest threat to world peace since communism. Exterminate it now, and free the masses toiling under its yoke. Institutionalized misogyny and racism is not a valid belief system.

Judicial Review: Is for giving new laws a go or no-go, not creating new ones.

K I fully support the eleventh letter of the alphabet.

Lacrosse: I'm with Carlin on this one. Faggot college activity. It used to be a sport, back when it was played by native Americans.

Metric System: WTF, already America? Gonna join the rest of the planet in the new millennium or what?

NASCAR: A bunch of rednecks turning left, really really fast. Oh yeah, sign me right up for that... not.

Nuclear Power: Something to be used as a last resort, in utmost desperation, after exhausting utterly all other possible avenues. The cost of storing spent fuel should be added to the generating costs, and reflected on the customers' bills to properly reflect its real cost.

Nuclear Proliferation: Enough countries have nuclear weapons already. We don't need any more members in the nuclear club, most especially, we do not need backward, beknighted, medieval societies (like any controlled by Islam) getting the bomb. I feel so strongly about this that I would accept the use of nuclear weapons to stop the development of nuclear weapons by a potential new member.

Origami: Sculpting animals and cool shapes with paper? Neato!! I've mastered quite a few shapes myself.

Pharmaceuticals: Specifically, the big multi-nationals that make all the pills. Heh, didja see the movie 'Fight Club'? You know at the end, how they blow up all the credit card company buildings, and supposedly wipe everyone's slates clean'? Yeah, well, swap out the credit card companies for the pharmaceuticals, and swap out early in the morning when no one's in them for 'right in the middle of the stockholder's meeting when they give out the quarterly report on how much they screwed everyone over for', and that's my opinion of them. The researchers? Oh, you silly silly fools, the researchers aren't there. They're not even in special buildings devoted to research. They're doctors working on stipends (and parsimonious stipends at that) experimenting on their patients in hospitals (waivers all signed nice and legal like, don't you doubt it). Most of the pharmaceutical's R&D costs are footed by John Q Taxpayer.

Q I'm not really sure we need the 17th letter of the alphabet, 'Kw' seems to cover it nicely. Also, the character on ST Jr. was kinda 'the ghey'. Not so much the actor, as the role itself.

Reality TV: Needs to be outlawed, abolished, and thoroughly put to a stop, preferably last year. I turn my TV on to escape reality, not to immerse in it. If I want reality on TV, I'll watch CNN, dammit.

Republicans: AKA Money-Grublicans. Thouroughly despicable bastards. Excellent problem-solving abilities, but only interested in solving problems getting money into their pockets, or those of their campaign contributors. Will gladly lie, cheat, steal, or sell their own mother into slavery for a percentage.

Role-playing Games: Something kids should be encouraged to play, since sitting at a table doing math and reading is highly prefereable to shooting up drugs, knocking up fellow teens, or doing drive-by shootings. People strongly opposed to RPGs on the basis that they are bad for kids need to be euthanised, or at bare minimum sterilised.

Soccer: A legitimate sport, as a ball is involved, but a really lame one since you can't use your hands.

Tennis: An excellent sport when played by attractive women in short skirts and tight tops who grunt a lot, otherwise exceedingly dull. Used to be great when John McEnroe and Bjorn Bjorg went at it, but those days are long gone.

United Nations, The: When was the last time they made a situation, like, ANY situation, better instead of worse? And was that done in time to prevent the worst parts of its bad side? A worthless institution, that exists in its current form to facilitate internation corruption more than cooperation. Evict them from Manhattan, and rent the building out as office space.

Vampires: Wouldn't want to be one. I don't handle the sight of blood very well, so I just don't think it's a lifestyle I'm cut out for.

'W': Why wait for 2008? Impeach the prick now!!

X: Far more useful as a symbol than a letter. Still marks the spot, though.

Y: Because we like you!!

Zombies: I think I'm pretty well prepared for a slow zombie apocalypse, mentally speaking. I've also got a nice set of swords to hack em up with. Hoping really hard for the slow zombies. Whoever thought up fast zombies needs to be beaten hard with a shovel. If we get fast zombies, I'm just gonna die.