Thursday, February 19, 2009
I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
Am I the only one who is starting to think that the New York Post cartoonist put the chimp in his cartoon so people would pay attention? Seriously, that's really the only thing I can think of. I doubt it was anything overtly racist, since I would just hope that those sort of people don't write (or draw) for the NYP in this day and age. I think they did it just so that people would pay attention. I'm sure copies of that paper have all but disappeared off the news shelves. You know? I say fine. The best part of this whole thing for me has to be the fact that most of America (even the non-black parts) really didn't like this cartoon, which means good things for us as a country.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Memories
I was just thinking about this time I was sitting at my computer, minding my own business, when my phone started to ring. I didn't recognize the number but I answered anyway because I would just be curious later who it was. Shockingly, the voice on the other end turned out to be female (these were well before my days of getting phone calls from random girls)(ok, you win, I never had those days, happy?). The girl refused to identify herself, which was kind of annoying, but I stuck with the phone call trying to figure out if it was a friend of mine just messing with me. Then the girl started asking why I hadn't called her back after last week. At this point, I just got annoyed and hung up the phone, because there was no one I should have been calling back from the week before.
About ten seconds later the phone rings again, same number. I pick it up. The girl on the other end tries her "you didn't call me back" routine again but soon realizes its not working. At this point, she breaks character to tell me that I was the victim of a prank phone call and that they were trying to freak me out that there was a girl I'd slept with the earlier that I didn't call back that was calling me. But the joke was on them, I hadn't slept with a girl ever at that point. Actually, I still think the joke was on me.
About ten seconds later the phone rings again, same number. I pick it up. The girl on the other end tries her "you didn't call me back" routine again but soon realizes its not working. At this point, she breaks character to tell me that I was the victim of a prank phone call and that they were trying to freak me out that there was a girl I'd slept with the earlier that I didn't call back that was calling me. But the joke was on them, I hadn't slept with a girl ever at that point. Actually, I still think the joke was on me.
Right around the corner are annoying gay gold robots
Apparently we've invented robots with the ability to answer the telephone and no one told me. The following is an actual phone conversation I just had:
Phone rings several times and gets picked up
Person I'm about to discover is a robot: Hello.
Me: Hi, may I please speak to M*. **** ****?
Robot: No one is home right now. Who is this?
Phone rings several times and gets picked up
Person I'm about to discover is a robot: Hello.
Me: Hi, may I please speak to M*. **** ****?
Robot: No one is home right now. Who is this?
I just carried the bullet awhile
They're not dead yet, but it can't be long now. Bigots and xenophobes are seeing their time come to an end and I couldn't be happier.
Sure, there are still people who burn crosses and scream about the evils of Mexican immigrants but those people are losing the war for the soul of this country. (A quick note about those fears about Mexican immigrants: they sound an awful lot like those leveled at my Irish and German ancestors when they came to this country. 80 years ago, there were certain parts of New York you could probably walk for hours without meeting anyone who spoke English. Through the German, Italian and even Irish ghettos, it would have been hard to find people who spoke English. And guess what, it all worked out in the end. Two generations later and everyone pretends to be Irish on March 17th. The fear that people have over others not speaking English is as understandable as it is misplaced. These people see our language as the thing that unites us as a Nation. However, what really unites us as a nation is the American spirit and you cannot tell me that people who run across barren land in the middle of the night while rednecks try to shoot them just for a chance that their children can one day do better than themselves don't have the American Spirit.)
The thing is that children being raised today in a world with a biracial president and people in other countries literally a computer and an internet connection away. The world has become a smaller place and there is no where for bigots to hide themselves away. Gone are the days when someone could grow up without ever seeing someone of another race.
The fight against these types isn't over. Membership in racist groups has gone up since the election of Obama. However, these are no where near the numbers they had just half a century ago. As the President himself reminded us many times during his campaign, in no other country in the world is his story even possible. Where else could the member of an ethnic minority be elected to a nation's highest office? When that minority had been enslaved 150 years ago and had been treated as a second class citizen by the law just 50 years ago. America has once again started leading the way for the world, showing them that the old racial tensions don't have to matter, that we can get over the old wounds, no matter how deep. That is why, no matter what the economy does, I still have hope. We are on the right path, we have the right leader, we are going to be ok (or even better).
Sure, there are still people who burn crosses and scream about the evils of Mexican immigrants but those people are losing the war for the soul of this country. (A quick note about those fears about Mexican immigrants: they sound an awful lot like those leveled at my Irish and German ancestors when they came to this country. 80 years ago, there were certain parts of New York you could probably walk for hours without meeting anyone who spoke English. Through the German, Italian and even Irish ghettos, it would have been hard to find people who spoke English. And guess what, it all worked out in the end. Two generations later and everyone pretends to be Irish on March 17th. The fear that people have over others not speaking English is as understandable as it is misplaced. These people see our language as the thing that unites us as a Nation. However, what really unites us as a nation is the American spirit and you cannot tell me that people who run across barren land in the middle of the night while rednecks try to shoot them just for a chance that their children can one day do better than themselves don't have the American Spirit.)
The thing is that children being raised today in a world with a biracial president and people in other countries literally a computer and an internet connection away. The world has become a smaller place and there is no where for bigots to hide themselves away. Gone are the days when someone could grow up without ever seeing someone of another race.
The fight against these types isn't over. Membership in racist groups has gone up since the election of Obama. However, these are no where near the numbers they had just half a century ago. As the President himself reminded us many times during his campaign, in no other country in the world is his story even possible. Where else could the member of an ethnic minority be elected to a nation's highest office? When that minority had been enslaved 150 years ago and had been treated as a second class citizen by the law just 50 years ago. America has once again started leading the way for the world, showing them that the old racial tensions don't have to matter, that we can get over the old wounds, no matter how deep. That is why, no matter what the economy does, I still have hope. We are on the right path, we have the right leader, we are going to be ok (or even better).
Monday, February 9, 2009
Best job to have in a recession is selling belt hole punchers
I know that money does not make problems go away, that rich people have money problems too, but does being rich always have to mean being tone deaf? The screaming from Wall Street about limiting their salaries to $500K if they take government money is getting a little ridiculous for several reasons:
If you're really worth millions of dollars in salary, wouldn't your company not need government money just to continue to exist?
I know that the cost of living is higher in New York and that these people have become used to a better lifestyle than most of us know. However, when people who used to make minimum wage are getting fired, people making millions having to cut back a bit is a hard thing to feel bad about.
They still get to have stock options, so if they do their jobs and get these companies back on the right track, they could be looking at a huge financial gain. These people have gotten lazy, they want money that is not tied to succeeding long term. If you aren't willing to bet your future earning on your preformance, you aren't worth the money.
Finally, it just looks bad to bitch about getting your salary cut to $500K in the midst of an economic downturn. Though it must be weird to have to give a shit what all us little people think of them after so long not caring.
If you're really worth millions of dollars in salary, wouldn't your company not need government money just to continue to exist?
I know that the cost of living is higher in New York and that these people have become used to a better lifestyle than most of us know. However, when people who used to make minimum wage are getting fired, people making millions having to cut back a bit is a hard thing to feel bad about.
They still get to have stock options, so if they do their jobs and get these companies back on the right track, they could be looking at a huge financial gain. These people have gotten lazy, they want money that is not tied to succeeding long term. If you aren't willing to bet your future earning on your preformance, you aren't worth the money.
Finally, it just looks bad to bitch about getting your salary cut to $500K in the midst of an economic downturn. Though it must be weird to have to give a shit what all us little people think of them after so long not caring.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Wawa subs are good
I enjoy eating made at Wawas all around my area. My favorite thing about Wawa is that all ordering is done from an electronic screen, instead of shouting an order over the noise in the store and hoping the person behind the counter gets the order right, you just push buttons on a screen until your order is done, go up and pay, and your food is ready soon there after and you leave. This system means that the person making your food is almost completely unknown to you outside of pleasantries. As long as that person makes a good sub, I really could care less about who they are. If the guy making my sub molests collies in his spare time, I really don't care as long as he makes a good sub (provided he washes his hands inbetween the molesting and the sub making). This is all a long lead up to me saying I could give a fuck if Christian Bale is a bad person.
Christian Bale has stared as Batman in two movies I have really enjoyed. He has also been in several other movies I have enjoyed. By all accounts, he's a nice guy who got caught on tape on a bad day. Even if he was an asshole, I wouldn't care, he makes good movies, beyond that it does not matter to me. Bale and I will never hang out, so whether he's an asshole in real life really does not seem to matter to anyone with brain cells. Russel Crowe is another exampe. Crowe is, by all accounts, a raging asshole that is hard to work with. But I don't work in the movie industry, so I don't care. He is, however, one of the most gifted actors in Hollywood and I have never thought he gave a bad or lazy preformance.
Now, I know as soon as my fiancee reads this, I'll be getting yelled at because, really this is one long hypocritical ranting. I have in the past refused to watch any Roman Polanski movies because he fled the country after a statutory rape charge was filed. Whether he was framed or really did drug and fuck a 13 year old really shouldn't matter if all of the above is true. And it really is true, I shouldn't care, but I do have several defenses to put forward. First, its always different when its children. I can forgive a lot of stuff, but I really cannot forgive people who hurt children. Jesus had the right idea, tie shit around their necks and throw them in the ocean. Second, the main movie I'm pressured to watch, The Pianist, seems like an incredibly depressing movie. I'll confess, I've never watched Schindler's List. I know the Holocaust happened and I know it was a tragedy, I'm just not sure I can watch a movie based around the events of the Holocaust. Finally, I'm not perfect. Though I often claim to be, I have failings. I try to live up to my ideals, but it is hard. Who knows, maybe I'll watch the Pianist some time soon. Editor's Note: James is probably lying about watching the movie because he wants to appear less hypocritical. Don't trust James, he's a filthy liar.
Christian Bale has stared as Batman in two movies I have really enjoyed. He has also been in several other movies I have enjoyed. By all accounts, he's a nice guy who got caught on tape on a bad day. Even if he was an asshole, I wouldn't care, he makes good movies, beyond that it does not matter to me. Bale and I will never hang out, so whether he's an asshole in real life really does not seem to matter to anyone with brain cells. Russel Crowe is another exampe. Crowe is, by all accounts, a raging asshole that is hard to work with. But I don't work in the movie industry, so I don't care. He is, however, one of the most gifted actors in Hollywood and I have never thought he gave a bad or lazy preformance.
Now, I know as soon as my fiancee reads this, I'll be getting yelled at because, really this is one long hypocritical ranting. I have in the past refused to watch any Roman Polanski movies because he fled the country after a statutory rape charge was filed. Whether he was framed or really did drug and fuck a 13 year old really shouldn't matter if all of the above is true. And it really is true, I shouldn't care, but I do have several defenses to put forward. First, its always different when its children. I can forgive a lot of stuff, but I really cannot forgive people who hurt children. Jesus had the right idea, tie shit around their necks and throw them in the ocean. Second, the main movie I'm pressured to watch, The Pianist, seems like an incredibly depressing movie. I'll confess, I've never watched Schindler's List. I know the Holocaust happened and I know it was a tragedy, I'm just not sure I can watch a movie based around the events of the Holocaust. Finally, I'm not perfect. Though I often claim to be, I have failings. I try to live up to my ideals, but it is hard. Who knows, maybe I'll watch the Pianist some time soon. Editor's Note: James is probably lying about watching the movie because he wants to appear less hypocritical. Don't trust James, he's a filthy liar.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Doctor v. G.I. Joe
During the Superbowl the ad for the new GI Joe movie was debuted. I hadn't realized till now that Destro was going to be played by the 9th Doctor. I have a dilemma now, who do I root for in this movie?
Sure, I used to love GI Joe when I was a kid. Had a box full of the action figures (some of them even in one piece) and I watched the show (I can't count how many times I've said, "because knowing is half the battle"). And I've only recently started watching Doctor Who and I've only just now seen all the shows that the 9th Doctor was in (I started on David Tennant and as they say, you never forget your first Doctor). I know, I really should be rooting for GI Joe. I mean, they're from my childhood and they're the good guys in the movie. I do, however, think I've found a way to rationalize rooting for the bad guys.
First, this isn't really GI Joe. I mean, sure, they have the names and the characters are based off of the cartoon, but its a huge Hollywood blockbuster instead of the extended commercial for GI Joe related toys that I used to love so much. I mean, this is GI Joe but only in the same way that Michael Jackson is the same little kid from the Jackson 5. Second, it is specifically stated in the previews that this elite squad answers to no governmental agency. How does that make them any better than Cobra? Sure, they fight on the "good" side but if they answer to no one, who decides good? Third, the whole GI Joe v. Cobra fight never seemed terribly fair to me. I mean all those years and Cobra never won once. Even the Washington Generals squeaked one out a few years back. America loves an underdog (unless its voiced by Jason Lee) and who is really the underdog here the ultra secret government organization that can afford combat suits that seem like they can fly or the hapless bad guys who couldn't beat up Glass Joe from Knock Out!? And finally, seriously, I can't root against the Doctor (seriously, once I found out that David Tennant had played a bad guy in Harry Potter I started rooting for the one who shall not be named).
Also, I loved the new Trek trailer, but that's a post for another day.
Sure, I used to love GI Joe when I was a kid. Had a box full of the action figures (some of them even in one piece) and I watched the show (I can't count how many times I've said, "because knowing is half the battle"). And I've only recently started watching Doctor Who and I've only just now seen all the shows that the 9th Doctor was in (I started on David Tennant and as they say, you never forget your first Doctor). I know, I really should be rooting for GI Joe. I mean, they're from my childhood and they're the good guys in the movie. I do, however, think I've found a way to rationalize rooting for the bad guys.
First, this isn't really GI Joe. I mean, sure, they have the names and the characters are based off of the cartoon, but its a huge Hollywood blockbuster instead of the extended commercial for GI Joe related toys that I used to love so much. I mean, this is GI Joe but only in the same way that Michael Jackson is the same little kid from the Jackson 5. Second, it is specifically stated in the previews that this elite squad answers to no governmental agency. How does that make them any better than Cobra? Sure, they fight on the "good" side but if they answer to no one, who decides good? Third, the whole GI Joe v. Cobra fight never seemed terribly fair to me. I mean all those years and Cobra never won once. Even the Washington Generals squeaked one out a few years back. America loves an underdog (unless its voiced by Jason Lee) and who is really the underdog here the ultra secret government organization that can afford combat suits that seem like they can fly or the hapless bad guys who couldn't beat up Glass Joe from Knock Out!? And finally, seriously, I can't root against the Doctor (seriously, once I found out that David Tennant had played a bad guy in Harry Potter I started rooting for the one who shall not be named).
Also, I loved the new Trek trailer, but that's a post for another day.
This isn't geeky, just my ranting
So there's a webpage I just got invited to join: NoCheckPoints.com. Basically, they're saying that because DUI checkpoints are a waste of taxpayer money, we should notify others as to where DUI checkpoints are so that they can avoid the checkpoints. I hate people.
I'm not sure why they just weren't honest and tell people they like to drive drunk and would rather the state not try to stop them in a systematic fashion. The expense of DUI checkpoints isn't changed by avoiding the checkpoints, it's not like the cops charge the state per car. DUI checkpoints are no big deal, generally, if you haven't been drinking. I've only ever been through one, it was a minor inconvience at best. If people really want DUI checkpoints to go away, they should stop being irresponsible when they go out to bars. Take a designated driver, call a cab, walk home. I really don't care but you cannot drive as well after you've been drinking, no matter who you are. Most times people get away with it but when they don't, other people get hurt. You're driving around a two ton piece of metal that travels at high speeds, its time to zip up your man suit and act responsibly. Sermon over.
I'm not sure why they just weren't honest and tell people they like to drive drunk and would rather the state not try to stop them in a systematic fashion. The expense of DUI checkpoints isn't changed by avoiding the checkpoints, it's not like the cops charge the state per car. DUI checkpoints are no big deal, generally, if you haven't been drinking. I've only ever been through one, it was a minor inconvience at best. If people really want DUI checkpoints to go away, they should stop being irresponsible when they go out to bars. Take a designated driver, call a cab, walk home. I really don't care but you cannot drive as well after you've been drinking, no matter who you are. Most times people get away with it but when they don't, other people get hurt. You're driving around a two ton piece of metal that travels at high speeds, its time to zip up your man suit and act responsibly. Sermon over.
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