5.28.2005
My Kind of Town
So, I think I am going to have to move to Chicago. Why, you ask? Well, I could tell you all about the fun liberal atmosphere, the presence of public transportation (something that continues to amaze this girl born and raised in the Motor City), or the people who are actually nice and friendly, but the real reason is that after literally years of looking, I found this:
Yes, Joe Strummers long out of print, impossible to find solo LP Earthquake Weather. And for the bargain basement price of $24.99--on vinyl. Who's a happy girl? Annamaria is a happy girl.
I also picked up some Style Council vinyl, and the new Ted Leo and the Pharmacists LP. Fantastic.
Jen and I spent the rest of my record-shopping high buying handbags at the1154 Lill Studio, and shoes in Lincoln Park. It's days like this when I am glad that no one else gets to look at my credit card statements.
annamaria at 5:23 PM
5.27.2005
Big surprise: No sense of humor.
Apparently Tom DeLay is unhappy about being jokingly linked to right-wing extremists on Wednesday's season finale of NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (my least favorite of the L&Os, BTW).Apparently the story went something like this -- two judges were killed by suspected right wing extremists. Police don't have any clues. One person jokes, "Maybe we should put out an APB for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt." Har. Har. Har.
Of course, DeLay overreacts, and in a letter to NBC says:
This manipulation of my name and trivialization of the sensitive issue of judicial security represents a reckless disregard for the suffering initiated by recent tragedies and a great disservice to public discourse.
Now all of a sudden DeLay is a supporter of judges and everything that is good and pure. Despite saying condemning judges in the Terri Schiavo case, stating that "the time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior." Hmm...
Best part, though, is a quote from producer and creator of L&O saying:
I congratulate Congressman DeLay for switching the spotlight from his own problems to an episode of a TV show.
ZING! Now that's a punchline that I would expect Munch to say on L&O:SVU.
Trivia Time!
Speaking of Richard Belzer and his character Det. John Munch, here's a little trivia for you. No looking it up on IMDB:
Belzer became the first person to play the same character, Det. Munch, on six different pime-time television shows. Can you name them all?
I'll come back with the answer if no one can figure it out, or cheats and posts it.
Anonymous at 11:35 AM
Friday Random Ten
It's a special edition of the Friday Random Ten this week--the "Jen and Annamaria Blog from the Same City" Edition! Yes, I will be spending the holiday weekend with the one and only Jen Jones in Chicago, which should make for interesting postings...assuming Jen and I don't just spend the entire weeking drinking. We'll let you know!
I'm sure I don't even have to point you to the rules anymore, but Lauren deserves credit for our Friday Fun.
- So What'cha Want - Beastie Boys
- Royalty - Lou Barlow
- Patio Song - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
- Bill Hicks - Hammell on Trial
- Glitter Gulch - Elvis Costello
- To the End - Blur
- I Will Internalize - Martha Wainwright
- Iron Woman - Devin Davis
- American Music - The Violent Femmes
- Valentine - Old 97s
C'mon everyone, share your lists and have a Guinness on me!
Labels: FRT
annamaria at 10:00 AM
5.26.2005
Red Letter Day
No small toffees for feast tonight
Kopites party with Turkish delight
Jose, Sir Alex... London press
All choking on sweet success
Money, not love, is your drive
But tell us... Can you count to five?
**Edited because Rich didn't like the picture!
annamaria at 8:46 AM
Obsessive Queer as Folk Blogging
Jen's back from Phoenix and her Showtime-less hotel room, so I can finally comment on the season premiere of Queer as Folk. For those of you that don’t watch the show, feel free to skip this one!
The Michael/Melanie custody storyline promises to be fascinating—mostly because it will be fun to see which of the two of them can be more cunty. My two least favorite characters going head-to-head for custody of Jenny Rebecca—that poor kid! With parents like that, she’s doomed. I say Michael has the distinct advantage on this one--after all, has Melanie ever won a case?
Oh, and I'm calling it now--Lindsay is going to pretend to be straight (not like she hasn't before) so she gets custody of the kid. We'll see if my prediction pans out.
Setting the whole Justin leaves for Hollywood thing during the hiatus really pissed me off. I wanted to see how Brian handled Justin leaving yet again. Of course, even an hour or so without Brian/Justin screen-time was almost too much, so I guess this was for the best. And was that Brian actually being joyful at the end of episode two? Dear me! That’s a sight you don’t often see.
Ted’s plastic surgery storyline seems idiotic. Is it just me, or was Ted only interesting when he was a meth-addict?
Highlights: Brian's fabulous "I am a cocksucker" speech; Melanie having good hair for the first time ever; the visual gag of Ted getting fatter in every subsequent scene (how funny was the Brando-loving twink?).
I call bullshit: Where the fuck was Drew Boyd?? The Emmett/Drew storyline was hands down the best of season four, yet not even a mention of our favorite supposedly straight football player?
Alright, those are my thoughts--care to share yours?
Labels: LGBT
annamaria at 7:31 AM
5.25.2005
Things to read while work is kicking my ass…
Sorry for the lack of posting this week, with Jen at a conference, and my month-end work insanity, we’ve both been super busy. I promise to post something soon, but in the meantime, here are some interesting things to read:
- Pseudo-Adrienne at Alas (A Blog) discusses the frail male ego, and women who out-earn their husbands.
- Bob Harris has one of the funniest (albeit unintended) photos I’ve ever seen.
- Ded Space points to a North Carolina church that apparently has no problem with Newsweek.
- One-Sex Marriage? Ex-Gay Watch alerts us to the Religious Right’s objection to the phrase "same-sex marriage." Apparently, "Same" is too close to "Equal" for their liking. My favorite people to hate, Concerned Women for America, are to blame.
- I’m with Kerri...only in Arkansas.
- I wonder what crazy David Icke would have to say about this?
- And finally, test your caption-writing skills with Norbizness.
Alright everyone, go play with the other kids today, so I can get some work done.
annamaria at 9:03 AM
5.24.2005
Uhhh...
Anonymous at 2:19 PM
5.20.2005
It's official. The party is over.
I'm sorry, but are you serious?
Now, we all knew that the Democrats have been floundering. There's no basis to the party, there is no inspiration, there is no leadership, and there is not a ball to share amongst them.
But the fact that the Democrats are conceding the only real leverage they have -- and by that I mean the ability to filibuster -- to "extraordinary circumstances" (whatever that means) and are basically giving a rubber stamp to five of the seven judges that are up for a vote that they have attempted to block?
Including Priscilla Owen, who the Democrats have successfully blocked four times. Was there not a reason for that?
So, what is left for the Democrats to bend over and take?
Well, Bush threatened today to veto a bill expanding public funding for embryonic stem cell research that may reach him early next week. He stated:
I made [it] very clear to the Congress that the use of federal money, taxpayers' money, to promote science which destroys life in order to save life, I'm against that. Therefore if the bill does that, I will veto it.
So, with no actual political leverage, since the one thing that the Democrats still had going for the -- the filibuster -- they gave up, unless the measure passes by a veto-proof margin of 290 I guess that Korea will be left making all of the advancements in this field.
Anonymous at 12:39 PM
Those of you who know me personally know that I:
a) Get sick all the time.
b) Am allergic to just about everything.
I've pretty much been sick ever since I started my new job over a month ago. But since I'm new, I still drag my sick ass into work.
So, funny thing happened at work yesterday -- you know my day was already going shitty when I posted about wanting to kill myself rather than deal with my work hell.
Anyway, if that wasn't bad enough, yesterday we move one of the bookshelves by my desk, and it looks something like this:
Yikes! No wonder I have been feeling like shit. I am crazy allergic to mold, which sparked a flurry of activity to cover up/clean up/rip out the wall.
Seriously, though. How has no one noticed that? I guess that bookshelf has been there for years upon years. Ick.
As a sidenote, I found out yesterday that my previous employer is going to be laying off 20% of its staff in the next 10 days, and once they are told that they are being part of the "forced reduction" they have to pack up their shit and go.
Nice. Good thing I got the hell out of there.
Anonymous at 10:41 AM
Friday Random Ten
This week has been awful...seriously, I'm ready to quit both my job and my family right now, and the only thing that is going to keep me sane is having more than four people post their Friday Random Tens. C'mon people, give a poor girl a break here! You can find the rules of play here. I'll even step up and give you my list first--here you go, the Friday Random Ten, "Annamaria has a headache" edition:
- Jetstream - New Order with Ana Matronic
- Jerry Falwell Destroyed Earth - Ben Kweller
- I'm Shakin' - Rooney
- Hot Topic - Le Tigre
- Bummed Out City - Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
- 1000 Mile High City - Ocean Colour Scene
- Love Child - The Supremes
- Been So Long - Nina Nastasia
- Laid - James
- Short Skirts - Felix da Housecat
Your turn! Make me proud people!
Labels: FRT
annamaria at 8:34 AM
5.19.2005
I would rather be doing this today...
...than deal with the shit-storm that is work.
I would say that I can't wait for the weekend -- but I'll be leaving for Phoenix for work on Saturday.
Fuck.
Anonymous at 12:19 PM
The Name Game
There is an interesting discussion going on over at Lauren’s place about the politics of changing one’s name after marriage. I’m not married now, but I know that if I ever do get married, I’m not changing my name. First of all, I’ve got a kickass Italian name, so changing to something from a different culture would just seem like a lie to me—it’s not who I am. Who I am is a first generation Italian-American, born to Sicilian immigrants; my name ties me to my heritage. And I’ve been this person for twenty-seven years—that isn’t going to change simply because I’ve signed a marriage license. I think I embody my name—it’s complex, melodic, and unique; this is how I like to think of myself.My father once introduced me to a friend of his and we had the oddest exchange: I shook his hand and introduced myself, to which he replied "Annamaria, was Genovese is now…??" I was completely taken aback. I sputtered something along the lines of "Is Genovese, and will stay that way,*" and promptly excused myself. I’m not sure if he was just trying to figure out my marital status (hint: asking "Are you married?" works), but what truly shocked me is that this was an Italian man who should have known that Italian women don’t change their names! Of my literally hundreds of relatives who still live in the same small Sicilian town, I can’t think of a single woman whose name changed after marriage. Even my Zia Anna, who was adopted by my grandparents, and who obsessively mourned her beloved dead husband for fifty years, was a Genovese until the day she died.
I also can’t help but think of the feminist implications of keeping your birth name. The tradition of a wife taking her husband’s name is predicated on the concept of ownership; when women take their husbands’ names, it symbolizes a conferral of ownership from father to husband. Some would argue that this view is arcane, that no one really believes that women are merely chattel to be given from one man to another. Certainly marriage has evolved to the point where couples are seen as true partners, but then why the focus on name changing? Why do the majority of American women still change their names upon marriage? If the traditional meaning has been relegated to the past, why cling to custom? Obviously, my name was given to me by my father, who got it from his father, and so forth, so I’m not really bucking the patriarchy here, but if I am going to be tethered to a man through my name, I would rather it be the man who contributed half of who I am, the man who raised me.
And the question of name changing becomes even murkier as society finally grows up and accepts non-traditional families—gay and lesbian couples and their kids, blended families, single-parent homes; these arrangements don’t suit themselves to the traditional nomenclature. Is the married name the last vestige of heteronormativity?
I don’t sit in judgment of women who go the traditional route and change their names; it’s a personal decision, and what is right for me may not be right for the next woman. But it seems strange that the decision to keep your birth name is still such a political one.
Jen, you’re married and you didn’t change your name—care to weigh in?
*Besides, I share my name with a mob family, a chain of pharmacies, and a famous murder victim--it's too damn cool to lose!
annamaria at 9:29 AM
5.18.2005
You're going down, baby, baby. You're in a tailspin.
See the big red cranes? And how they are about a gazillion stories tall (or 100 feet)? Well, this dumbass decided to climb one "to make a point."
Turns out that the man, Darryl Murphy, claimed that a documentary idea about the Robert Taylor homes he had sent to Oprah Winfrey was stolen by Eddie Murphy and used as the basis for his sit-com, "The PJs." (Didn't that get canceled anyway? And that's kind of what he gets for sending in unsolicited material.)
So, in order to plead his case and draw attention to this tragedy, he...climbs up a construction crane at what will eventually become Trump Tower.
Now, why do I bring this up? Well, first it is silly and retarded to try and settle something like this, um, on a crane. Secondly, it happened out the window where I work, and I wanted to share.
And how did it end up? Did he fall to his death? Or did they just lower the crane when he didn't get his ass down?
If you guessed the latter, you are correct. Prizes for you.
Oh, yeah. And after he got down? Jail.
Anonymous at 4:33 PM
Hell is other people
Via Roxanne:What is Your World View?
You scored as Existentialist. Existentialism emphasizes human capability. There is no greater power interfering with life and thus it is up to us to make things happen. Sometimes considered a negative and depressing world view, your optimism towards human accomplishment is immense. Humankind is condemned to be free and must accept the responsibility.
What is Your World View? (corrected...hopefully) created with QuizFarm.com |
These results are kind of surprising. I've never thought of myself as much of an Existentialist--particularly since I've been more and more interested in Taoism of late, and would expect to find (Dialectical) Materialism much higher on the list than either Existentialism or Postmodernism. Also, I am rather disappointed to see that at least a quarter of me is Fundamentalist!
Anyway, this quiz was a lot more fun than those idiotic "Which Star Wars character are you?" quizzes that people usually point me to, so I thought I'd share.
annamaria at 1:50 PM
5.17.2005
Happy Anniversary
Today marks the first anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. As you can see, the sky didn’t fall, civilization as we know it didn’t collapse, Queer as Folk hasn’t been picked up for a sixth season. So, much to the wingnuts’ chagrin, their prophecies of doom have failed to materialize.
Of course, that doesn’t stop them from speaking in hysterical hyperbole; to wit, Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, an affiliate of Concerned Women for America, had this to say:
[Same-sex marriage] has energized the pro-family movement because it has moved the debate beyond theory to actual images of men marrying men and women marrying women.
Actual images, huh? What, like these:
Snarkiness aside, folks, I do wish all of these couples a lifetime of happiness. Yes, even this guy.
annamaria at 8:14 AM
5.15.2005
Too little, too late.
Fucker.
Clarence Stowers, this makes you even more of an asshole. You know, if you were going to be an asshole and keep it, then keep it. But to offer to give the finger back after you have had it for TEN DAYS, knowing well because of the coverage of the case that reattachment would only have been possible within a few hours of the orignial incident.
Not TEN DAYS later, and certainly not after sticking it in the freezer and killing all of the cells.
Nice try to get people to stop calling you a cocksucker. But you, my good sir, are in fact a cocksucker.
Anonymous at 4:34 PM
Better than "Human Battling Bitches"?
I'm not sure that it's better, but this search brought someone to the site over the weekend. Unfortunately, I don't think that I am the Indiana redheaded stripper named Jen that this person was looking for. I live in Illinois.
So, while we are on the subject of funny search terms, here are a few more that, somehow, thought this would be the site would hold the answers:
Another search for "battling bitches"? Maybe the internet really does have Annamaria and I pegged.
Apparently a generic search for "nasty things" in France returned us as the first result. Interesting.
Well, there are those two, and then there are all the searches for finger-thief Clarence Stowers. More on him a little later.
Anonymous at 4:17 PM
5.13.2005
One, two, three, four – we can’t shake it anymore.*
According to my friend Kerri's blog, Texas cheerleaders no longer get to shake their groove things, much to the dismay of horny high-school boys and dirty old men all across the Lone Star state.
Resident Texas sexy-cheering repressorAl Edwards led the battle cry, which passed the state's house 85-55. Still has to go to the Senate, but, come on! It's Texas.
And, yes. Those are Texas legislators shaking pompoms during the consideration of the bill.
Aren't there any other issues in Texas that are a little more important? Like redistricting?
*Democratic state Rep. Senfronia Thompson in discussing the huge waste of time taken to consider the bill.
Anonymous at 7:54 PM
They spent their wild youthful days in the glittering world of the salons
Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright to Tour
Ben Folds, Rufus Wainwright, and Ben Lee, three of pop music's oddest men, are joining forces for the "Odd Men Out" tour this August. Folds and Wainwright will co-headline, each with his own band. The two will alternate closing each night, with Lee opening each gig.
This tour is hardly a haphazard match, as the three men have a history with each other. Folds and Wainwright have toured together in the past, while Folds and Lee have worked together as part of the coincidental geek experiment the Bens (along with Ben Kweller). With their mutual chumminess, it'd be surprising if they didn't play at least a few songs together.
At the moment, there are approximately three weeks of shows announced, although Ben Folds' site insists that more will be added.
08-03 Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap Filene Center
08-04 Brooklyn, NY - Celebrate Brooklyn, Prospect Park
08-05 Boston, MA - Bank of America Pavillion
08-07 Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Resort Spa and Casino
08-09 Toronto, ON - Kool Haus
08-10 Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Festival
08-11 Columbus, OH - Promowest Pavilion
08-13 Kansas City, MO - City Market
08-14 Tulsa, OK - River Parks Amphitheater
08-16 Denver, CO - The Filmore Auditorium
08-18 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
08-19 Los Angeles, CA - Wiltern Theater
08-20 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
08-24 Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
08-26 Woodinville, WA - Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
So, what do you say Jen? Toronto, Highland Park and Columbus are totally doable! We could relive our misspent youth.
annamaria at 1:20 PM
Friday Random Ten
Oh, how I love Fridays. My list this week is pretty indie-rock heavy—not sure how that happened, considering that I’ve been listening almost exclusively to Stevie Wonder in my car for the past week. Apparently, my computer has different ideas about what I should be listening to. If you’re new to the Friday Random Ten, you can find the rules here. So, without further ado, here it is, my Friday Random Ten, "Look Ian! It’s a picture of Moz" edition:
- Gene Autry - Beulah
- Spanish Teeth - Robbers on High Street
- TKO - LeTigre
- God's Comic - Elvis Costello
- I Turn My Camera On - Spoon
- Primative (The Way I Treat You) - Ambulance Ltd.
- Trouble With Dreams - Eels
- When I Goose Step - The Shins
- Everything is Everything - Phoenix
- Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Smiths
Your turn!
Labels: FRT
annamaria at 7:53 AM
5.12.2005
I like Ted Leo's pharmacists much more
I have so had fucking enough of anti-choice pharmacists. I have this recurring dream where I go to the local Walgreens to get my Ortho-Evra prescription filled, only to have some fundie fuckwit tell me that I am an evil, baby-killing whore—the dream usually concludes with me jumping over the counter and beating the holy-rolling shit out of the little man in the white coat. In fact, I’m almost hoping for this situation to play out in real life—although the idea of calling my parents from a holding cell and asking them to post bail for me isn’t nearly so appealing.
So, it seems that the latest tool in the anti-choice arsenal is to simply stop stocking the shit altogether. According to
Most Missouri pharmacists are bypassing the conscience debate by simply not stocking the controversial abortifacient morning-after pill according to a survey of pharmacies conducted by NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League) Pro-Choice Missouri. NARAL found that, of 928 pharmacies surveyed statewide, less than a third – 29 percent – carried the Plan B prescription abortifacient, marketed as 'emergency contraception.'
Ah, how I love it when fundies call birth control and Plan B "abortifacients." They aren’t. An abortifacient, by definition, causes an abortion—are we following people? Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy—make sense? Pregnancy is the implantation of a fertilized egg in the endometrium—got that? So, until the fertilized egg implants into the endometrium, you are not pregnant. That is not just my opinion, but the opinion of the National Institutes of Health. See how I can find better sources than Dictionary.com?
So, does EC cause abortion? According to the EC website (hosted by Princeton University, and unlike most fundie sites, this is actually peer reviewed):
No, use of emergency contraception does not cause an abortion. In fact, emergency contraception prevents pregnancy and thereby reduces the need for induced abortion. Medical authorities such as the United States Food and Drug Administration/National Institutes of Health and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists define the beginning of pregnancy as the implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of a woman's uterus. Implantation begins five to seven days after fertilization (and is completed several days later). Emergency contraceptives work before implantation and not after a woman is already pregnant. Depending on the time during the menstrual cycle that they are taken, ECPs may inhibit or delay ovulation, inhibit tubal transport of the egg or sperm, interfere with fertilization, or alter the endometrium (the lining of the uterus), thereby inhibiting implantation of a fertilized egg.
(emphasis mine)
But, enough of my logic and truth, let’s get back to the wingnuts, shall we?
Abortion zealots and media alike are decrying the fact that in some rural regions, such as Shannon County and Barry County, not a single pharmacy will allow their employees to cooperate in the destruction of an unborn child. Missouri lawmakers are considering a bill that would force pharmacies to fill the prescription whether they disagree with abortion or not.
Yes, and quite the abortion zealot that I am, considering that widespread availability of EC will actually reduce the need for surgical abortion. Obviously, I am just looking out for Planned Parenthood’s bottom line here, since I want to make sure that women have options other than abortion.
Last month Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich filed an emergency amendment to the state code, requiring pharmacists to dispense medication – even if filling the prescriptions violates their conscience and religious beliefs.
"The governor is trying to make a decision that must be left to the pharmacy," said Illinois Republican Senator Frank Watson, according to a theledger.com report. Watson’s family pharmacy in Greenville, Ill. does not stock the morning-after pill. "It's an infringement on a business decision and also on the pharmacist's right of conscience."
Let me repeat and emphasize what Senator Watson had to say: "The governor is trying to make a decision that must be left to the pharmacy." Um, excuse me, but isn’t this "a decision that must be left to" the woman and her doctor? I have never had a pharmacist ask me why I am taking any medication, be it Ortho-Evra or amoxycillin. For all s/he knows, I need birth control to ease painful menstrual cramps and regulate my periods, or for lifesaving treatment for ovarian or uterine cancer, ovarian cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease or anemia. Who the fuck is some pill-pusher to stand in the way of my medical treatment, as decided by my doctor and myself?
Catholic hospitals in Colorado are already considering the administration of ovulation tests before they give EC to rape victims. What’s next? Will women have to provide pharmacists with signed affidavits that they are not currently engaging in vaginal intercourse, so no risk of abortion here! How about our doctors pin notes to the inside of our coats detailing our medical treatment, and assuring the pharmacist that it’s really, really okay for us to take the pill. Hey, isn’t that the purpose of a FUCKING PRESCRIPTION?
It’s really simple people—if you can’t do your job as required, you don’t deserve to keep your job. Allowing pharmacists to insinuate themselves into women’s medical treatment is going to backfire. What makes these people think that women are going to say "Well, I couldn’t get my EC, so I guess I’m just going to have to resign myself to being the best darn mommy in the whole wide world!" Rather than preventing abortion (which, need I reiterate, is what EC does), the fundies are going to drive women to clinics to have surgical abortions—which means killing the fetuses, as opposed to just ensuring that they don’t happen in the first place.
Labels: Keep Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries
annamaria at 11:07 AM
5.10.2005
A cop pulls over Jesus Christ, and the cop says...
No. There's no puchline there. Other than the fact that a man, who 15 years ago changed his name to Jesus Christ, is having trouble getting a driver's license in West Virginia.
And, no. This isn't just a hick thing in West Virginia. I guess that the man formerly known as Peter Robert Phillips Jr. had lived in Washington, and was sucessfully able to get a driver's license in that state. Along with his government-issued U.S. Passport and Social Security card.
West Virginia, though, isn't giving. His birth certificate has his original name on it, and he was unable to obtain an official name change in Washington.
My question: How was he able to get all of these other documents with Jesus Christ as his name?
Anonymous at 1:09 PM
5.09.2005
Maryland Judge Says Kids Should Hate Fags
Yes. I said fags. We should also hate niggers. Probably bug eaters, chinks, gooks, japs, dagos (sorry Annamaria), kikes, and spades.
Oops. I already listed a disparaging term for black people.
I feel dirty for writing all that, but it needs to be said.
These are all things that kids say on a playground, before they even know what that shit means. Children need to learn about other cultures -- as well as sexual preferences -- in order to learn that their redneck fucker parents are full of shit, and that they shouldn't hate everyone who looks different or believes different things than they do.
Maryland Judge Alexander Willams thinks differently though (this courtesy of the scary folks over at LifeSite). When it came to a portion of sex education curriculum that discussed homosexuality, Williams issued a temporary restraining order to prevent teachers from teaching. His rationale? That "the revised curriculum presents only one view on the subject - that homosexuality is a natural and morally correct lifestyle - to the exclusion of other perspectives."
Isn't what kids learn in history terribly one sided? Or just in school in general? When discussing the Civil Rights Movement, should we have white supremicists or the KKK to come in to discuss their perspective, because, from what I understand, Maryland sex ed was just teaching that sometimes men put their penis in another man's anus.
And isn't that the big complaint of the evolution/creation debate? The one-sidedness? Did Williams just create a slippery slope for his little God-fearing self?
Anonymous at 4:41 PM
Spoke Too Soon: Mary, Resurrected!
Turns out that faith will overcome after all. Two car wash workers, armed with engine degreaser, removed the brown paint from the salt stain/Virgin Mary.
Although -- don't tell -- I don't think it looks like anything anymore, other than a dirty piece of a concrete wall.
Guess I still won't be making the pilgrimage.
Anonymous at 4:02 PM
I always knew Amway was a cult
Apparently, people need to read more carefully. The oldest surviving copy of the New Testament shows that the 'Number of the Beast,' popularly thought of as 666, is actually 616:
Satanists, apocalypse watchers and heavy metal guitarists may have to adjust their demonic numerology after a recently deciphered ancient biblical text revealed that 666 is not the fabled Number of the Beast after all.
A fragment from the oldest surviving copy of the New Testament, dating to the Third century, gives the more mundane 616 as the mark of the Antichrist.
For all you non-Michiganders, 616 is also the area code for Grand Rapids--purported to have more Christians per square foot than any other place on earth. Ah, the irony.
Thanks to Blondesense for the link.
annamaria at 10:41 AM
5.06.2005
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
This is the best news I have heard in ages. According to
Rolling Stone Rick Rubin has taken on a make-over project for another American icon:
Rick Rubin is hoping to do for Neil Diamond what he did for Johnny Cash. The producer -- who revived the Man in Black's career in the Nineties with the Grammy-winning American Recordings series -- has revealed to Rolling Stone that he is producing Diamond's next album, the follow-up to 2001's Three Chord Opera.
"I've always been a fan. We got to meet and talk, and it just kind of happened," Rubin says of the project, which he hopes will be out by year's end. "We've done all the basic tracks, and we're gonna go from there."
The record will mark a slight change in direction for Diamond, moving away from his recent, lavishly arranged crooner material to his stripped-down singer-songwriter style of the late Sixties. "This is more of a songwriter's album than a singer's album," says Rubin.
Rubin hopes the record will underscore Diamond's reputation as one of pop's greatest songwriters: "He deserves it more than anyone."
I know this will destroy any semblance of hipster cool that I may have, but I fucking love Neil Diamond (we share a birthday, you know!). And considering what Rubin did for Johnny Cash, perhaps this new album will get Neil back to something more like "Shilo" than "September Morn."
annamaria at 4:40 PM
Asshole of the Day: Clarence Stowers
***Traffic has picked up on this site considerably because of 'net searches for Mr. Stowers. Please poke around, leave a comment, whatever. We're just glad you are here***
So, what did this person do to earn my award for Asshole of the Day? Well, he found a finger in his frozen custard, and refused to give it back to 23-year-old Brandon Fizer to get reattached.
Apparently the accident happened a 1/2 hour earlier, and at that point the digit probably could have been reattached. Instead, AOTD took it home and put it in the freezer -- effectively killing the cells in the finger, making it impossible to reattach. He then pulled it out when various TV crews or reporters came to his house to interview him. Classy!
Stowers excuse for not forking over the finger? he wanted it to be tested, because he was concerned about disease. Which is insane. Tests could have been done on the rest of the Fizer to check for anything. Essentially this story is bullshit, and he's effectively caring more about his chance at a lawsuit, 15-minutes, and some dollars than the rest of someone's life without the end of a finger.
So, Stowers, we salute you. For your greed and total disregard of other people and their well-being, we here name you as the Asshole of the Day.
One more look at that finger, please...
Anonymous at 1:44 PM
Damn, I waited too long -- procrastination strikes again.
Remember when I posted a few weeks back about the underpass Virgin Mary/salt stain?
Well, it seems that I waited too long to go and see it for myself because yesterday a man, armed with shoe polish, defaced the shrine/cause for endless traffic backups.
Police arrested the alleged vandal shortly after witnesses said they saw the man take out black shoe polish at the site on the Fullerton Avenue underpass around 11:30 p.m. and write "Big Lie" over the stain, said police spokesman David Banks. Sometime later highway workers painted over the graffiti.
At the same time, though, what about this, on the left side of the image? Something tells me that the God-people probably were not too happy with seeing the VM, and being told that Satan loves you (or "U," as the case may be) on the same wall:
If it was, in fact, a work of God, do you think it was right to paint over it? Will Chicago suffer His wrath as a result?*
* On a side note I would like to add that when I was looking up "god" and "wrath" for images, one of the results was a picture of Val Kilmer in Real Genius. I think that's certainly saying something.
Anonymous at 11:04 AM
Folks, it's been awhile...
I got a lock for my laptop at work yesterday, so it doesn't wander off during the middle of the day (?), which I might as well just stick directly into my leg.
Too much work makes Jenny a sad girl, and neglectful to her blog.
I miss playing on the internet all day. Remember those days?
Anonymous at 10:56 AM
Friday Random Ten
Ah, it's a beautiful day in the Motor City, and there is no way I am going to make it through a full eight hours work today. I wonder if anyone will notice if I sneak out. While I plan my escape, Lauren at Feministe plans our soundtrack. Here is my contribution--the Friday Random Ten, "How did that reggae get into my mp3 player?" edition:
- Superstar - Sonic Youth
- Music is the Victim - Scissor Sisters
- Final Straw - REM
- Do You Realize? - The Flaming Lips
- Feeling Called Love - Pulp
- The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott Heron
- No Peace Los Angeles - Mike Doughty
- Rudie Can't Fail - The Clash
- Tiny Dancer - Elton John
- Born For a Purpose and a Reason for Living - Dr. Alimantado*
So, what crazy shit are you listening to?
*I love random, unplanned synergy--This song is actually referenced in Rudie Can't Fail, which is #8 on my list.
Labels: FRT
annamaria at 9:20 AM
Life in the D, vol. 3
There are few things that are as intrinsically Detroit as Eight Mile. The fact that I refer to it as Eight Mile, rather than Eight Mile Road, is telling—it is not so much a thoroughfare as it is a state of mind. Physically, Eight Mile forms the boundary between Detroit and the northern suburbs, so-called because it is roughly eight miles north of the Detroit River; metaphorically Eight Mile is a line of demarcation between the haves and have-nots—some of Detroit’s poorest neighborhoods reside on the south side of Eight Mile; tony Oakland County lies just to the north.
The myth of Eight Mile has taken on a life of its own in Detroit—and gained national attention with the release of Eminem’s film 8 Mile. The movie itself uses Eight Mile as another character, an underlying presence that informs the actions of struggling artists and families. To invoke the phrase Eight Mile in Metro Detroit is to invite a thousand metaphors of poverty, segregation, crime and racism. In 1974, Detroit elected Mayor Coleman A. Young, who infamously told the criminal elements in the city to "hit Eight Mile," a comment which incited outrage from the northern suburbs who feared a mass exodus of criminals infiltrating their pristine communities. As a result, for 20 years Young reigned over a period of intense animosity between Detroit and its suburbs, a time when race-baiting and malice became politics as usual in the city. And we are still feeling the effects: the 2000 census confirmed what Detroiters already knew—this is the most (racially, socio-economically) segregated metropolitan region in the country.
Today, we often talk about the "south of Eight Mile fear"—the propensity for suburbanites to avoid Detroit altogether due to what they perceive as rampant crime and violence. Despite his scandals, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has done a lot in the past three years to alleviate some of those fears—or, at the very least, encourage suburbanites to set them aside long enough to enjoy a Tiger’s game at Comerica Park. For the first time in my life, three of Detroit’s four major sports teams actually call Detroit home (ironically it is the Pistons, who have the biggest urban fan base, that remain in the suburbs). Bars, clubs and music events are also encouraging young suburbanites to venture into the city. A lot has changed in the nine years since I was in high school and had to beg my father for the keys so I could go to Detroit for a show at St. Andrew’s Hall—before I could leave, I had to endure a stern lecture about the dangers of walking, parking, hell just being in Detroit.
The south of Eight Mile fear, like most fears, is based upon ignorance and the assumption that Eight Mile (and by extension Detroit) is, as USA Today called it, "a catch basin for the city's human flotsam." But the ultimate irony is that, not unlike the Red State-Blue State rhetoric, the myth of Eight Mile rests on a radical oversimplification of community politics—Eight Mile itself is one of the most racially integrated stretches of real estate in southeast Michigan. Which is not to say that metro Detroit less stratified; merely that Eight Mile is not so much a line of demarcation, as it is a blurring of boundaries between Detroit and its suburbs.
For more about Eight Mile, check out Detroit Yes! Eight Mile Mini-tour
Labels: The D
annamaria at 9:08 AM
5.03.2005
More sports news that I couldn't care less about
Detroit Piston Ben Wallace was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the third time. I like basketball even less than football, but I must admit to having a slight crush on Ben Wallace. It's all about the hair.
Piston's President Joe Dumars had this to say:
I think if we had to pick one award that epitomizes who we are as the Pistons and world champions, it would be for the defensive player of the year. I think everyone in this room is biased because this should be four straight years, but we'll take three out of four.
So, who won the year Big Ben got robbed? Ron Artest--whose defensive skills should come in handy on a wholly different court this year.
Labels: The D
annamaria at 1:31 PM
Can I join the Red Army?
Rich made fun of me yesterday for my enthusiastic support of Liverpool (Go Reds!) in tonight's Champions League semi-final against Chelsea. Apparently, one doesn't so much support Liverpool, but rather denigrates their opponents. I compared this to my vote for John Kerry last year.
Everyone who knows me knows what a fan of football I am--which is to say, not at all. In fact, the only reason I care either way is because Rich would never forgive me if I didn't display at least a modicum of excitement tonight. So, rather than wax poetic about some mythic story about the little-team-that-could, I'm just going to entertain you with some funny quotes from former England manager Terry Venables--frankly, these are much more interesting to me than actually watching tonight's match!
- "If you can't stand the heat in the dressing-room, get out of the kitchen"
- "I felt a lump in my mouth as the ball went in"**
- "It was never part of our plans not to play well, it just happened that way"
- "Apart from their goals, Norway haven't scored"
- "It may have been going wide, but nevertheless it was a great shot on target"
- "They didn't change positions, they just moved the players around"
- "There are two ways of getting the ball. One is from your own team-mates, and that's the only way"
** This has got to be the greatest quote of all time.
annamaria at 12:29 PM
The Hip Hop Mayor strikes again
When Jen and Ian still lived in the D, they were kind enough to invite me to a New Years Celebration they called "Jeans and Moet"—if only we had invited Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, we could have charged all that champagne to the city’s tab.
Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial champagne in Atlanta. Lobster tail in Chicago. Limos in Washington, D.C.
As Detroit eliminated thousands of jobs, struggled with exploding pension and health care costs and became a city on the brink of receivership, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick charged more than $210,000 to his city-issued credit card in less than three years on the job, city records show
Oh Kwame, I had such high hopes for you.
Detroit is looking at a $230 million deficit for fiscal year 2005; and while Kwame was kind enough to cut his $176,176 annual salary by 10% (saving the city a whopping $17,000 bucks), nearly 3,000 jobs are expected to be eliminated this year due to lack of funds. Add this to the Lincoln Navigator scandal (costing the city $24,955) and the fact that Detroit is one of the only cities in the country that provides it mayors with city-owned housing (the historic Manoogian Mansion), and Kwame just might be the most expensive mayor in America.
Kilpatrick…is the only city employee who is issued a credit card. A city finance manager, Mike Lane, said he believed mayors have been issued a credit card since the 1970s.
Huh…I wonder what else happened in the ‘70s? Oh, that’s right, we elected this guy:
Remember Coleman Young? The guy who spent millions to create the world's greatest drive-thru; a great downtown area to look at while you drive down Woodward Avenue (windows up, doors locked) toward Canada.
Hey Jen--can we borrow Obama?
Labels: The D
annamaria at 11:50 AM
